Azure Cat, Crimson Fox
by Darth Malleus
Summary: What if Naruto was kidnapped by Kumogakure the night of the Hyuga Incident? Taken in by a fellow Jinchuriki in preparation for his training to become the ultimate weapon, but when the time comes will she bow down to fate or rise up to protect him?
1. Prologue

_**Naruto**_

_**Azure Cat, Crimson Fox**_

_**Prologue**_

_**Konohagakure no Sato**_

_**Eight Years Ago**_

Life wasn't fair.

"Monster"

The child looked up at the owner of the voice, an old man, maybe in his sixties with a balding head. His rugged features holding that same expression he had come to accept, an expression of hate and malice which just served to numb his heart and soul even further.

Looking up at this man the boy wondered, not for the first time, why this was happening to him. Why did people look on him with such hate and fear? For as long as he could remember he had been treated this way. The orphanage, the children, random people on the street all looked at him with those icy stares, sometimes they seemed to look straight through him, other times they were full of disgust, and sometimes, just sometimes they looked upon him with outright murder.

He should not understand this, but his few years had forced him to grow up faster than someone his age should. To the naked eye he looked like an orphan, barely four years old, but inside he was twice that age.

The old man approached, no one was coming to his aide. His fellow orphans seemed to scatter at this slightly drunken mans approach. The people who ran the orphanage made no move to help him. Some were even watching the event play out with a twisted type of enjoyment.

"You are a monster" the man said, pointing a rickety cane at the four year old blonde "You killed my son, you crippled my daughter and you will-"

Before he could finish his sentence the blonde child got up from his place in the sandbox and exploded into motion, running away from the deranged old man and his ravings. The old man gave chase, waving his cane over his head like a baton. Again no one came to his aide, not the orphanage workers or the Ninja that Jiji promised would save him.

He ran through the iron gates, and followed a footpath along the gray stoned walls, following a trail which was well worn to him. He had run away from this place many times before, sometimes when people entered this place wishing to bring harm to him, or when the people who were supposed to look after him locked him out of the orphanage at night.

Tears spilled freely from his oceanic eyes, his ears hearing the ranting of the old man who was threatening him. It wasn't fair. What had he done to deserve this? Why did no one help him? Why did the people hate him so much?

Why!!?

He turned the corner, his eyes closed to try and stop the flow of tears escaping them, only for him to collide with something. He bounced back, landing on a heap on the floor. He stirred, looking up to see what he had rushed head on into.

He was met with a frowning face of a woman. Her skin pale and smooth, eyes were a dark brown and shoulder length blonde hair mapping out every contour on her face. She wore a headband across her forehead, partially hidden by the bangs of blonde hair, but it didn't have the leaf symbol he was familiar with, rather it was of three cloud shaped markings, two of which seemed to be joined.

Upon seeing him the woman's frown shifted to confusion, then to concern. It was an entirely new scenario to him, as anyone he had met before had eyed him with discord and revulsion. It was then that the old man came, spinning around the corner, his cane held in his hands only to stop upon seeing the woman, who was now kneeling beside the blonde haired child.

She spoke, her words melodic and soft "Are you alright?"

The boy hesitated, moisture gathering along his eyes, ready for a release. The woman saw this and without hesitation picked him up in her arms, rocking him gently back and forth, her soft voice soothing to his ears "Hush, there, there. You're safe now"

The boy, not able to hold onto his emotions anymore buried his face into her shoulder, sobbing and crying, dampening her clothing with his tears. She smiled softly, holding the boy in an embrace before setting a murderous glare upon the old man, her killer intent flashed upon him, seemingly suffocating him under its intensity.

"What is the meaning of this" she asked softly so as not to frighten the child, yet with an unbreakable steel behind her words.

The man backed away under her suffocating aura. Of course there were Kumo-nin around, it was to be expected. One of their top Ninja had arrived in Konoha to sign a peace treaty with the Hokage and the Council of Fire. The High Ninja had brought half a dozen Ninja bodyguards with him. But he did not expect to see one of them wondering the streets so freely.

The woman took a step forward. The demon child held in her arms. She repeated her question, this time with considerably less patience "What is the meaning of this? Are you a coward who gets his kicks from scaring young children, or is there more to this than I am seeing?"

"He" the man began, fists balled up so tightly the skin on his knuckles turned white, he knew to utter these words were forbidden, and carried with them great punishment. But he didn't care anymore "He is a monster. He killed my son, he crippled my daughter and he must pay for his sins"

The women looked down at the child, and then back up at him, eyebrows raised in disbelief "Are you ill sir? A four year old doing such harm is hard to believe"

"He is the demon" the man crowed angrily "He holds within him the monster which attacked this village nearly half a decade ago, he must be made to pay, he must!!!"

The woman's eyes widened, then realisation hit her. The world had been led to believe that the Yondaime Hokage had defeated and killed the Kyubi no Yoko himself at the cost of his own life. Before she could ask further she felt a blur of motion, and three members of the Konoha ANBU shimmered into existence, dressed in the armoured attire of the Hokage's personal elite guard, porcelain animal masks covering their faces.

One put his hand on the old mans shoulder, his expression and intent invisible behind his mask "That's enough out of you old man, time to go"

The old man looked at the masked Ninja fearfully, before being led around the corner by another ANBU agent. The intent was clear, he was to be arrested and hauled to whatever incarceration facility awaited those who released important information to the enemy. The leader turned to the Kumo-nin and bowed respectfully before her "My apologies, he is but an old man, deranged by the terrible tragedies in his life. He blames everyone around him for his loss"

He was trying to erase suspicion, but she wasn't buying it, she could afford to play his game for the time being though. Even if he suspected that she believed the ramblings of some half insane old man he couldn't do a thing to her, not with her diplomatic immunity as a foreign ambassador.

She was startled when the ANBU raised his hands but gave no outward sign "Thank you for protecting the boy, but we need to return him to the orphanage"

She looked down at the child to see that he was sound asleep in her arms, his face completely innocent to the world. He looked so adorable that for a moment she did not wish to let him go. But she relented, and tentatively placed the child into the ANBU's waiting arms "It's quite alright, I have seen many a man lose his sanity with the death of loved ones"

Without hesitation she turned and walked up the road, leaving the ANBU to look after the boy. Outside she was composed. Inside she was brimming with excitement. That boy was just like her, he had been forced to take a great burden he did not deserve, just like her. Besides herself the woman immediately felt a kinship for the boy. She would need to report this to the High Ninja, perhaps add another name to the small one person list of abductees he had.

------

The abduction attempt was a failure.

The High Ninja was dead, killed by the Hyuga.

Konoha was on high alert, even now the ANBU were hunting down her fellow Ninja.

They had abandoned the hotel they were staying in and scattered in all directions, set to meet up at the rendezvous point. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop, ignoring the torrential rain as it fell from the darkened night skies and drenched her clothes and exposed skin, matting her blonde hair.

She stopped suddenly, looking down at that same drab building of gray stone and timber she had seen a day before. This was the same building where she had met that boy. Besides the situation her curiosity got the better of her and she jumped down onto the two meter high stone walls, looking down at the courtyard of the orphanage.

There was the same boy, sitting on a swing, the cords tied to a sturdy tree branch. Looking at the orphanages closed door with hollow, dejected eyes. She gritted her teeth. Those bastards must have locked him out in this storm. Forget about her suspicions about him, no one treated a child that way, no one.

She jumped down from her perch, landing at the other side of the courtyard and started walking towards the boy. Her leader had failed in gaining a Hyuga and their all seeing eyes. But she may be able to salvage the situation, and perhaps offer this boy a better life. She knew she was tempting fate by stopping, but she felt it would be worth it in the end. The child noticed her coming through the haze kicked up by the torrential rain, and immediately recognised her as the woman whom had saved him the other day. He smiled at her, a sad smile which she couldn't help but return. He did not fear her, good. It would make this a lot easier. She reached out with her hand, beckoning him to take it.

He hesitated, before reaching out timidly, and his little hand grasped onto hers, she gently pulled him to his feet and held him in an embrace, lips parting, whispering the words to a low level Genjutsu to put him to sleep. The journey would be long and treacherous, and she did not wish to scare him. His eyes drooped, his body became slack and after a moment he fell into her arms, asleep and oblivious to the world.

She scowled at his appearance, soaked to the bone, his gray shirt and pants clinging to his skin, his hair matted by the rain, any longer and he would have caught a bad case of pneumonia. The woman looked at his face and picked him up in her arms. She took a deep breath, fell into a crouch and jumped up high.

She ran across the rooftops, the only evidence of her passing being the tapping of her sandals against the timber roofs, the splashing of water as she went through puddles with blurring speed. Eventually the roofs ended and the huge vertical surface of the city walls towered before her. Concentrating her chakra into the soles of her feet she jumped, making contact with the wall and running up the superstructure. She scaled it within seconds, ran across the empty walkway, hopped onto the battlements and jumped down to the forest below.

Focusing her chakra into the soles of her feet yet again she hit the first sturdy branch of a tree she came across, and took off running, jumping from sturdy tree branch to sturdy tree branch with a feline grace. Finally she arrived at the rendezvous point, a clearing nearly ten kilometres from the village perimeter. She landed on a branch on the boundary and waited.

As she waited she heard a soft moan, and looked down to see the child stirring, his features grimacing as if in pain. She set him down, unslung her backpack and rummaged through it, finding a brown cloak she pulled it out and wrapped him snugly in it, to give him protection from the rain at least.

His hand gripped her forearm, startling her. She looked down to see him still asleep, his other hand gripping onto the fabric of her brown cloak. His lips moved, a single word dulled by the pelting of the rain, but she was a master lip reader.

_Mommy_

He must have been dreaming of his mother, most likely long gone by now, either dead or unable to care for him, or maybe she left him there to rot. The thoughts were thrown aside for later as she looked into the clearing, seeing a duo of shadowy figures exploded from the undergrowth and running to the centre. They must have been two of the High Ninja's Chunin bodyguards, Haru and Ren if she remembered.

Picking up the child she jumped to the ground, landing on her feet like a cat and rushing towards the two darkened silhouettes, using the rain to mask her movements. They didn't notice her even when she was within two meters of their position.

"Thunder" she spoke the call sign, startling the two Ninja.

"Lightning" they both piped up in unison.

She rose from her place, a silent dark shadow in the night. They feared her, she knew they feared her, but they also respected her battle record and prowess "The Head Ninja is dead. The mission is a failure. We're moving out"

Both nodded and were about to follow her, then Haru stopped, the large Ninja looking at the bundle in her arms, particularly the blonde hair "What's that?"

She looked at him, an icy glare which made him shy away "Collateral"

------

It took a week to traverse the dense forests of the Land of Fire. They could have used the dirt roads to the border, but Konohagakure would have most likely sent word about the failed attempt to the Daimyo by now, and he would have put the entire country on full alert. The roads and settlements were bound to be watched, and the security in the borderlands was bound to have been tightened.

They passed the border between Fire and Fang easily, and from there to Claw and finally to the borderlands of Lightning. By a week and three days they had made it to the border towns of the land of Lightning, or more specifically the border town of Akaikumo. There they were scheduled to meet with the Raikage himself, and give him an in-field debriefing.

They went to a local inn and paid enough for two rooms for a night, she placed the boy in her room, redid the Genjutsu and left Haru to guard him while she and Ren went down to the pub on the bottom floor. They took a table, ordered a couple of Kumo whiskeys and waited for their Kage to arrive. It was another hour before he came, a huge mammoth of a man, easily twice her size and thrice her width, this was not due to fat but to muscle, skin was a dark brown with slicked back white hair with a small moustache and beard. He wore simple Kumo Ninja attire with dark gray fatigues and a high collared Jonin vest of the same colour. To all those in attendance he was just another Ninja of the Lightning army, not the leader.

He sat down on the chair, his dark eyes not leaving those of his two underlings, she respected few of the Ninja, but this man was one of them, he could overpower his younger brother Kirabi, and he was the host to the eight tailed beast. For someone like herself, who contained the two tailed monster cat, she believed he could easily subdue her.

"The mission was a failure" he said, his deep voice stony and gruff and she found herself flinching under his words.

"Technically" she replied, her brown orbs making contact with his "But while we failed to capture a Hyuga we were able to get something else"

His eyes rose in curiosity at this "What?"

"A Jinchuriki" was her simple reply, his eyes widened for a fraction of a second "Maybe, I need someone to check the boy but I believe he is a host to a tailed beast"

Even Ren was surmised by this, but the Raikage, E Yotsuki, was completely mystified, before a grin came across his face "I will have a sensor check the boy immediately, but if it is true then this will be more than enough recompense for losing my second"

"What news from Konoha" she asked, genuinely curious.

"We were able to turn it around" E replied "We have denied that we even tried to kidnap a member of one of their clans and have demanded that we have the head of the one responsible"

"And they agreed to it?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

The Raikage shrugged "They are weary of continuing the war"

"So are we"

He smirked "But they don't know that"

She sighed in relief, before realization hit her "The Hyuga will undoubtedly seal his Byakugan away, there is still no way for us to attain that Gekkei Genkai"

"Maybe" the Raikage replied dismissively, it was no secret that he and the next in line for his mantle didn't get along, in fact there were rumours that the Head Ninja had been secretly preparing to try and seize power in a coup "But if this boy is indeed a host the loss will be nothing great"

"What will become of him if he is" she asked, suddenly worried for the small child.

"Obviously he will go through the same training you and Kirabi have. If he is to become a tool for the village then he needs to contain and control his beast. As for accommodation, I doubt anyone in the village will take him in, though they respect Jinchuriki for their power they still fear them"

The words left her mouth before she thought about them "I will take him in"

Once again the Raikage's brow rose for a moment, before it descended into a frown "Are you sure? You do realise that with your power I can't just let you go to raise a child"

_Off course not, I am one of your weapons after all; _was her thought, but she kept it down, he was not Kage when she had the demon sealed, he was not to blame.

She respected the man, but that was all, she was only two when she had her demon sealed inside her and for a while she hated the village and the country for it. After a while though she realised that walking down that path would only lead to her becoming an unstable monster like the rumoured Sanbi and Rokubi of Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mists. That and the Nibi was not as bad a monster as she had originally thought, in fact the creature was pensive of her being forced upon such a burden and had basically taken her as its kin. It was the main reason why she was able to control the two tailed cat the way she did.

"I know the hardships of the life of a Jinchuriki" she replied "If the boy is then he will need someone who knows what he is going through. Besides if things go the way you think there will be no war, so we will go back to peacetime activities. No need for a weapon like myself"

He thought about this for a while, before sighing in resignation "Very well, if he is a host then I will make you his guardian until he is old enough to begin his conditioning. But remember this, if war comes you will be recalled immediately. You will still do missions for the village and the nation" he opened his eyes, hardened orbs starring at her "Is that clear?"

She nodded "It is clear"

"Then I bestow upon you, Yugito Nii, the A-ranked mission of taking care of the boy" he said "You will be given the same salary as you did when you were an active Ninja, this is to look after the boys needs…I take it your apartment is suitable for a second person?"

Yugito bowed slightly, eyes closed "It is"

"The he is your responsibility"

"Hai, Raikage-sama"

* * *

"Normal" – humans speaking

"_Italics" _– Humans thinking

"**Bold" **– Biju talking

"_**Bold/Italics" **_Biju thinking

* * *

_**Glossary**_

ANBU – The personal guard and Special Forces of a Kage

Konohagakure – Village Hidden in the Leaves

Kumogakure – Village Hidden in the Clouds

Kirigakure – Village Hidden in the Mist

Yondaime - Fourth

Hokage – Fire Shadow

Raikage – Lightning Shadow

Genjutsu – Illusionary Techniques

Kekkei Genkai – Bloodline Limit

Byakugan – White Eye's

Jinchuriki – Power of Human Sacrifice

Nibi – Two Tails

Sanji – Three Tails

Rokubi – Six Tails

Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox


	2. Chapter 1: Four Years On

_**Chapter 1**_

_**Four Years On**_

_**Borderlands of Hi no Kuni, four years later**_

She ran through the underbrush of the forest, pushing aside the branches of bushes and small trees as she went. Exhaustion slowed her. She was covered in a fresh sheen of sweat, clothes dirty and torn, blonde hair matted, probably didn't smell very well either.

Running from Kumogakure, through the mountainous terrain of the Land of Lightning, the two small nations of Claw and Talon and into the plains which dominated the border with Konohagakure without stopping was an impressive feet, one which few Ninja below A-rank could achieve. However even someone like her had limits, and she needed to stop and rest, but not until she reached the huge forests, not until they were safely within cover.

Finally they came to the forest outline, massive trees rose up in the distance, unnaturally huge creations easily the same size as a five storey building. She entered the forest, and kept running till she came across a clearing. She quickly scanned the perimeter. Even if there was a ceasefire with the Land of Fire they were still in hostile territory. Confident they were safe she knelt into a crouch, and let her passenger's feet touch solid ground. He staggered for a moment, his joints numb from lack of use.

She turned to him, and despite her exhaustion and their current predicament she couldn't help but smile at him "We'll rest here for a while"

He nodded and watched with curiosity as she went to work, unslinging her backpack and pulling a few small scrolls from satchels "What are you doing Kaa-san?"

She smiled at him, he had always been curious about everything there was to know about being a Ninja, and she had always patiently explained whatever he wanted to know "I'm going to plant some perimeter seals around our camp so we don't get snuck up on"

He nodded and yawned, his own exhaustion apparent. It had taken nearly two days to traverse the terrain between Kumogakure and here. He had not slept during the entire trip, and neither did she. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze "Take the sleeping bag out of this scroll and get some rest" she said softly, taking out a small scroll and handing it to him.

He took it, but didn't move, his little oceanic eyes full of worry "You'll be close right?"

She nodded, and gave him a hug "I'm not going anywhere Naruto-kun"

"You promise?"

She leaned back, her almond eyes starring unflinchingly at his brilliant blue "I promise"

He nodded in relief, before turning and moving towards a crevice in a large thick oak tree. He knew the enormity of their situation and was instinctually falling upon his own basic Ninja training. One of his first lessons was how to live out in the field. When you need to rest sleep in cover, keep away from any hostile eyes.

For the last four years he had been trained in the Ninja arts by some of the finest instructors in Kumo. They had mostly just taught him chakra control and manipulation, while she and a few others taught him several low-level Ninjutsu and her own Taijutsu fighting style.

She heard a snap, and her head darted around, looking for any signs of danger. It was only a deer, a few meters in the forest. She allowed herself to relax. Although Naruto was valuable to Kumo they wouldn't dare break the armistice with the Land of Fire, they weren't ready to start another war, not with herself and Naruto going rogue. At least that was what she hoped.

She spent ten minutes going through the forest, planting her perimeter seals into the earth before heading back to the clearing. Once there she noticed that Naruto was sound asleep, hidden within a hollowed out tree. She smiled as she sat down beside him, leaning against the inside of the trunk, her hand brushing back his bangs of blonde hair. As she got comfortable she felt her own weariness like a slap in the face, even with the Nibi's chakra sustaining her she could only go on for so long, and she had surpassed her limit a day ago.

Digging her hand into one of the satchels on her Jonin vest she fished out a small red pill, a soldier pill, and popped it into her mouth, ignoring the sour taste that came with it. The medicine got to work within a few moments, and she felt awake again. She could rest later, when she knew Naruto was safe, for now she would remain on a constant vigil.

"_**You shouldn't do that, kitten" **_the soft, purring voice of her Biju made her jump, she caught herself and silently cursed _**"Look at yourself. You're jumping at shadows. You haven't slept, eaten or rested in days. At the rate your going you'll keel over from starvation, dehydration or exhaustion!"**_

"What choice do I have" she replied, softly so as not to wake Naruto.

"_**There is no way a pursuit team could keep up with you" **_the Nibi chastised softly _**"They would be a day behind you at the least"**_

"Unless they send Kirabi"

"_**He cares about the kid as much as you do. The council knows this so they won't send him"**_

She was right, and as she tried to deny it she realised just how right the benevolent cat demon was. Her stomach hurt, her lips and throat were parched and even with the medication she could still feel her eyes droop from lack of sleep. She heard a sigh. Her Biju spoke again, and this time her voice was pleading.

"_**Kitten, eat something at least"**_

She picked up her backpack and rummaged through it, finding a ration bar she tore it from its paper confines and wolfed it down. She grabbed her canteen from her belt next, popping open the bottle and taking a gulp of water to help wash down the taste. Wiping her mouth she fell back against the bark and frowned when Nibi gave off a growl.

"_**Not good enough, I saw a deer skimming the edge of the clearing"**_

"Is this your hunger or mine?" she asked deadpan.

There was a purr of annoyance _**"You of course you foolish blonde! That protein crap is not going to sustain you!!! It was designed to be a snack, not an actual meal"**_

She groaned. Nibi never liked the protein bars. She was a feline, a carnivore, and as a carnivore she craved meat to sustain her, even though she didn't need it anymore the trait had been passed down to her host. Her feline companion sighed again, and then purred worriedly.

"_**Kitten, I'm worried about you. If an elite Ninja came at you in your state you won't be able to put up much of a fight"**_

The Jinchuriki sighed; the Nibi was right "I guess you have a point"

"_**Please kitten" **_the creature beseeched worriedly _**"I'll remove the effects of the soldier pill from your system. Just please get some sleep"**_

As she sat there, listening to the sounds of the forest and the soft snoring of the child beside her. Her mind began to wonder, remembering the turn of events which led her to this moment.

* * *

_**Kumogakure no Sato, One week earlier**_

"It is impossible"

They stood in the office of the Raikage, the walls and floor carved from the stone of the mountain the Hidden village was situated on. Filing cabinets covered the walls and in the centre, overlooking a large window of the village was the mahogany desk and chairs of the Raikage. This was where he made the decisions which affected the Ninja population of the Land of Lightning.

She had been called here by the Raikage himself. Beside her stood the Raikage's brother, her fellow Jinchuriki and close friend Kirabi Yotsuki, who had barged into the meeting uninvited, and when the elder asked him to leave he began spewing his usual badly worded rap phrases. Eventually the Raikage let him stay, on the condition he stop his useless anecdotes. She smiled as the usually aloof and insubordinate Hachibi container complied without question. He cared about Naruto too, saw the kid as like a little brother and she surmised he had heard of this meeting on his progress and made sure he was there to attend it.

The others were an assortment of ANBU captains and village elders. She had nodded a greeting to her fellow Ninja and bowed respectfully to the village elders. The ANBU returned her greeting, while the elders just grunted and moved on. The worried looks of the Ninja and the disappointment of the elders gave her cause for concern.

It had been three months since Naruto began training under the ANBU and seal masters on how to control his tailed beast, and as much as she wanted to know how it was going it was classified above top secret. Her son had always come home tired and exhausted, and when she asked how it was going he just smiled and reminded her that it was top secret. This gave her cause for further concern. Naruto had always confided in her, when something was wrong she was the first he would talk to and ask help with.

"After three months of conversing with the Kyubi no Yoko I have concluded that, at the boy's current level it will be impossible for him to fully master it" she looked at the elder and head scientist of the project as he reported his findings, a frown on her face. Norimasa Sakamoto was a former Kumo-Jonin, an old man in his seventies with thinning white hair and dark brown skin, who retired from service and became the chief scientist for the Science and Research Bureau. It was he who oversaw the conditioning of both herself and Kirabi. She didn't like the man, in fact she hated him. He had never hid his contempt for the Jinchuriki, not even with Kirabi, and he was the brother of the Raikage.

"Please elaborate" E said with a frown. He didn't like the old man either, in fact she remembered when he came up in conversation the Raikage called him an old fossil who should have been buried years ago. She smiled at the memory, only to hide it behind her stoic mask once more.

"The Kyubi is the most powerful of the Nine, its strength is so malevolent and vast that it is impossible for a normal human mind to control" the scientist replied, skipping through a few pages on his report "Upon further examination and after several communications between beast and host I have come to a conclusion. While it will lend its chakra to the container to save its own life it is not as, how should I say, compliant as the Nibi and Hachibi where"

She didn't like where this was going, and from Kirabi's movements she saw he didn't much like it either. The towering Jinchuriki folded his arms across his broad chest, face set in a frown as he listened to the head scientist of the Science and Research Bureau.

"At his rate of progress he may never fully master the nine tails of his transformation. The Kyubi's chakra is just too vast and potent that its consciousness would encompass and take over his host. He would become more of a danger to the village than as its protector" the scientist suddenly shut his report, his eyes partially hidden behind his round glasses "Unless"

He let the word hang in the air, not caring to reiterate further. The Raikage tapped his finger against the surface of his desk in impatience, before sighing "Unless what?"

"Unless we put him through the full conditioning"

Yugito growled at this, the full conditioning was more like torture. The subject would be conditioned both mentally and physically to become a weapon. She didn't know the details but what she did know was that the practice was cruel and inhumane in every sense of the words. When the training was complete the subject would lose all emotion, he would basically become a hollow shell of what he once was, the perfect killer.

The Raikage growled at the scientist for a moment "If we did that the boy would be nothing more than a shell of what he is now. No emotions, no individual thought, he would be stripped of all that makes him who he is. Such barbarism has been outlawed"

"It is regrettable" the scientist replied, his almond eyes gleaming with a sick joy behind his glasses "But necessary, I will be putting this forward in the council meeting later today. But your agreement would make this much faster"

"I refuse" E replied without hesitation, fixing the scientist with a glare which would have melted steel, lips twisted in a sneer of disgust "And I will fight this motion of yours with tooth and nail. There is a reason why I banned all forms of _that _training, and I doubt you will gain enough support on the council to overrule me"

A smile adorned the old mans face "Off course Raikage-sama, but I will still put my recommendations forward when the council meeting begins"

The Council of Lightning, a council made of heads of the numerous Ninja clans of Kumogakure as well as Ninja commanders and Village elders. They were at heart an advisory council, one who was created to help the Raikage in the day to day running of Kumogakure no Sato. They had some power, and although the Kage was the leader of the village the council could still overrule his decisions, but in order to do that they needed eighty percent of the members to agree. Such a thing had only happened twice in the history of the village.

"You are welcome to do so, Sakamoto" the Raikage said tightly "And my opinion will remain the same, now leave me"

The old man bowed, spun on his heel and stalked out of the office, he looked at both Yugito and Bee as he left, and the Nibi Jinchuriki could have sworn she saw a malicious smile on his face. She felt her body go numb. Sakamoto was a very methodical human being, and she used the term human very loosely, he would never make a play like this against the Raikage if he didn't have the support for it.

The line of Ninja filed out, but Yugito and Kirabi remained, eyes not leaving the Raikage's for a moment, likewise he did not shy away from their gazes but met them head on. The door closed and she couldn't hold her diplomatic façade any longer.

"Bastard" she growled.

Kirabi nodded his agreement, before starring at his elder brother with an unusually stoic expression, his black sunglasses lowering to reveal dark almond eyes "So bro, do we have anything to worry about?"

The Raikage sighed, once again massaging his forehead "The council does not side with him on many issues, but with the kid it's another story. He was supposed to start his training at five, but thanks to your 'motherly instincts' he was held back"

"What are you implying?"

"Don't play dumb with me Yugito, I know you too well" he rebuked mildly "By his age you had fully mastered using the Nibi, Kirabi was on his fourth tailed transformation. At the moment the kid can barely control his single tailed cloak, his anger clouds his judgement. The council is losing its patience. They want results, and Norimasa is giving them a way to gain those results"

"At the risk of turning him into another Rokubi" she almost screamed, barely keeping her patience in check.

He glared at her "Do you think I will enjoy this? I will do all that I can, but if the council is against me there is little I can do"

"You can overrule the council" she replied, but was stopped by a snort.

"Even I have my limits, if I go against the council I risk losing my support with the clans and without their support I can't overturn the decision"

She gritted her teeth, keeping her opinions buried deep within her mind. Instead she clenched her fists so tight the skin on her knuckles turned white. She lowered her head "Excuse me"

The Nibi host turned on her heel and stalked out of the office, leaving a worried Kirabi and a frowning E. They remained silent until the door closed, and E spoke, his words lace with weariness.

"She has gotten emotionally involved with the child" he muttered "I should have seen this coming"

Kirabi sighed, pushing up his sunglasses "She was his guardian at first, but things took a turn for the worst"

The elder brother frowned "Stop that"

"It's true though" the little brother continued "At the beginning she saw it as another mission, but over time things changed. The kid is infectious bro, just by being with him you want to get to know him better. When he enters a room it lights up. My students are smitten with him, Yugito sees him as a son and I even see him like he's my little brother"

The elder sighed "I know. I like the kid too"

"It's more than that" Kirabi said "Before the incident with Konoha she was nicknamed the 'Ice Cat'. She was always stoic and cold to everyone around her, bar me, you and her sister. But since she took the kid in she's opened up, I've seen her smile and laugh…in public!"

"He has been a good influence on her" E replied "Before she met him her façade as a snow queen scared men off, now her new appearance as a caring mother has drawn them to her like a moth to a flame"

Suddenly he saw his brother with _that_ look, and decided to nip it in the bud "Don't even think about it"

"What" he replied, his face a mask of innocence.

"I will not have you singing rap music at her window, not again" he replied deadpan "Do you realise how many complaints we got, the amount of damage which needed to be repaired because of your little stunt?"

"I was trying to serenade her"

"Little brother, you serenade a person by playing a musical instrument, classical tools like a violin are usually preferred" E explained impatiently, feeling a headache coming on. Where the hell was his aspirin!? "Not standing on the pavement shouting out your pitiful excuse of rap music"

"She liked it"

"She fully transformed and tried to kill you, in the middle of the village!"

"She looks so sexy when she's angry too"

"Was being condemned to a hospital bed with chakra poisoning for two months really worth it?"

He didn't hesitate "Oh yes"

* * *

She had been sixteen during the Hyuga incident in Konoha, the lead bodyguard to the then Head Ninja. Trained to become a killer from the age of two, ascended to the rank of Genin at eight, a Chunin at ten and a Jonin at thirteen, by her fifteenth birthday she had been selected as a member of the Raikage's own ANBU strike force, becoming a captain within six months of her selection.

She had never even thought about settling down and raising a child, her status as a Jinchuriki, a living sacrifice, had made that decision impossible for her. She was respected in her village. Her beauty made her a symbol of lust to many a man. But no one besides her fellow Ninja wanted to get close to her.

The only people she considered family before the incident was Kirabi, E, her sister and half of the Yotsuki clan. Then the incident happened, and she found herself looking after a little four year old Jinchuriki. She hadn't planned on it happening, she was just supposed to be his guardian until he was old enough to begin the training. But over time something changed. She didn't know what or why but he got to her. There was something about him; his personality naturally made him friends and before long she found that she cared about him.

By the end of their first year together he had started calling her mom, and she had let him. All her life she had been taught that she was only a weapon, there was no room for wayward emotions like love and hate. But she found that she loved this little boy, he showed her that there was more to her than just a weapon, that she had within her the emotions of a human being. She could love, hate, cry, laugh and smile just like all those she perceived as normal.

They weren't related by blood, but they were as close as a mother and son.

She stopped and looked around, frowning. She had walked through the village to the training grounds, a barren landscape of rock formations, separated by fences of barbed wire. For a while she wondered why she had come here. Then she remembered. He was training in basic Taijutsu out here with her younger sister. If memory served they said they'd be in the fiftieth training ground.

And so they were.

Both stood in the clearing, fully dressed in battle attire and preparing to begin another sparring bout. Her sister was a slender woman of fair complexion and natural blonde hair. She was promiscuously covered by a sleeveless, very short robe that left very little for the imagination. Beneath her garment was a layer of mesh armour that was probably quite uncomfortable despite its small size, when took into consideration her somewhat disproportionate bust.

If the kid was uncomfortable with her sister's choice of attire he didn't show it. He had gotten used to her sisters choice of clothing years ago. In contrast Naruto wore a pair of baggy black pants with the symbols for earth and cloud etched into the outer pockets. A black shirt covered his upper body, and if one looked closely enough they would be able to make out the light armoured suit underneath.

She watched as Naruto and her sister bowed to each other, and then fell into the basic stance for the Kuroi Tora fighting art, the chosen fighting style for the Nii clan. Her sister took up a defensive stance, blocking and parrying Naruto's quick strikes and claw like grapples with practised ease born from years of practice.

Yugito smiled as he executed a clawed punch, only for it to be blocked. He had learned the basics of the art quickly and was showing steady progress with each training session. At first she and her sister had thought he was a natural, but a week after they gave him the scroll she had woken up in the middle of the night, and went outside to get a breath of air, only to find him in the courtyard, slowly going through the basic motions of the fighting style. He trained constantly, mastering the forms through perseverance and hard work.

Kuroi Tora, the Black Tiger, was a fighting art created by the Nii clan during the Dark Times before the formation of the villages. The style was formed after the demeanour and fighting strategy of an attacking Mountain Tiger. The techniques for the art were to claw, rip, tear and grapple with an opponent. The offensive strikes were lightning fast hits, aimed for vital points across the human body to maximise damage while the defensive was to grapple and subdue through submission holds and tosses.

Naruto ducked a swinging spin kick and brought up his hands to grab her extended leg, trying to toss his larger opponent over his shoulder. She let him, only for her legs to wrap around his neck as her back hit the ground. She rolled, sending him flying to the soil. Her sister flipped onto her feet and fell into a basic stance, body stooped, hands shaped like claws at her sides, legs bent. She looked like a tiger ready to pounce. Naruto rolled to his feet and fell into the same stance.

Then he saw her and smiled "Hey mom"

Her sister relaxed her stance and turned, a small smile of her own on her face "Your back early Yugito Oneechan"

"The meeting was faster than we thought" she came up to Naruto and bent over so they were face to face, a smile curling her lips "You've improved cub"

He returned her smile with a trademark grin "Yeah mom, Samui Oneesan has shown me a few new grapples"

She looked up to her sister with a wry look. Samui Nii didn't back down in the slightest, instead her sapphire eyes were full of mirth.

"You taught him advanced grapples when he doesn't know the basic stances yet?"

Naruto pouted "I know the basic stances mom"

She poked him with her index and middle fingers, gaining a flinch and an audible owe "You know them, but can you do them?"

His pout remained in place, crossing his arms and looking away with a stubborn expression which made both women laugh. She straightened, and put her hand on his head, ruffling his spiked blonde hair "Go over there and go through the stances. If I remember you're still shady on the second and third forms"

He groaned something about bossy women before turning and jogging over to the cluster of rocks. When he was out of hearing her smile turned into a sour frown, and her sister looked at her with a raised brow "What happened"

"Norimasa happened" she replied "He's going to try and bring back the old practices to use on Naruto"

Samui's eyes narrowed "No way. The old man would never let that happen"

Her little sister was a capable Ninja; she was a Chunin at sixteen, a master of the clans Jutsu and fighting styles, but when it came to politics she was an amateur "Even the Raikage has to bow down to the demands of the people. If the council vote unanimously in that bastards favour then there is little he can do"

Samui emitted a throaty growl "There must be something we can do"

"We don't know if the council will back him yet"

"But what if they do" she asked.

Yugito frowned, deep in thought before her face fell. She spoke in a small voice, her sister had never seen her like this "I don't know"

With a sigh the younger Nii put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. She could always count on her. They were the last survivors of their clan. Their father and mother died during the third Shinobi world war. Even when Samui knew about the Nibi she had remained by her side as her little sister, steadfast and unmovable to those who taunted her.

"It'll be alright" she tried to console "Trust Raikage-sama. He won't let this go without a fight"

"Yeah your right about that" she replied with a brave smile "He'd probably demolish the council chambers if it passes"

* * *

"There is a reason why these practises have been banned" the Raikage bellowed in outrage "If we put the boy through this then we risk turning him into the greatest danger the village has ever known!"

"Your opinion on the matter is noted Raikage-sama" Hoshi Tanaka, head of the Tanaka clan said calmingly. She was a middle aged woman of fair complexion with long blondish white hair, a long scar running through her right eye.

"The training regime may seem a little…severe" Sakamoto spoke up, sitting in his place on the council table "But there are no other options, after extensive researching into the Kyubi I have found no other alternative to draw out its power. The chakra feeds off the boy's anger, his hatred and his fear. So far those three methods are the only ways for him to summon the demons power"

"What about the seal" Kasumi of the Sato clan asked "Can't you summon the seal masters to alter it, allow the boy to converse more freely with the Kyubi?"

The scientist ceased her attempt with a wave of his hand "That was the first thing I looked into, but as far as the art of sealing goes the Yondaime Hokage has no equal, even today. The best Seal masters in Kaminari no Kuni have done extensive research on the subject, only to come up on a blank. There are no references to the seal in any of our records. To tamper with it could bring disastrous consequences"

"What about the other methods, the ones which worked with the Nibi and the Hachibi" old Sesame Yasutora asked, the man was one of the oldest Ninja in the village and was considered the eldest of the elders.

"I have tried councilman Yasutora" the old Sakamoto replied patiently "But it is next to impossible. The Nibi no Bakeneko and the Hachibi no Kyogyū were reasonable for monsters, they understood the need to protect their hosts in order to survive. The Kyubi no Yoko doesn't seem to understand this, nor is it interested in making a deal with its container"

He was holding something back. There was something he was not telling the council, the Raikage knew this by his demeanor, though he hid it well. What was more was that no matter how hard he tried he could not shake the feeling that this entire meeting seemed to be scripted. Most of the council members were asking questions which they already knew the answer too.

The scientist had let slip one piece of information, for one who is not the host to converse with the beast he or she needed to have an intimate understanding of the seal which was used to bind it "Did you really converse with the Kyubi Sakamoto, or were you unable too?"

Norimasa looked to the Raikage with a frown, but before he could rebuke the Lightning Shadow beat him to the punch "I may not be a master of seals, but I know enough. If someone who is not the host wishes to converse with the beast then they or a member of their family needs to either have or had a summoning contract with it, or they must have an intimate understanding of the seal used to bind the beast to its host. But you just said that you and the best of our countries seal masters could not understand the seal"

The scientist looked at the man in confusion, bordering on panic. He had obviously not expected E to know anything about seals "I assure you Raikage-sama that there are other ways to commune with the Biju, and they have all ended in failure"

"Oh" E hummed "Then list off a few of these other options you have tried"

"Enough Raikage-sama please" Sesame pleaded, earning a glare from the Kage that made him involuntarily flinch in his seat.

"These are simply my findings" Norimasa continued, coughing into his hand to regain the councils attention, his earlier surprise buried under his political façade "The only way for the child to gain the Kyubi's full power is to commune with him directly, and with his mind being so young he can be easily manipulated and corrupted by the Biju"

"So you want to turn him into an emotionless shell?" E asked incredulously.

"It is the only way to be sure he remains in control of the creature" the head scientist replied "Do you know of another way?"

E looked to him, his murderous intent flashing to levels which made the others in the chamber nervous, before he deflated "No"

"Perhaps we can find a middle ground here" Renji Sato, another elder spoke up "Place guidelines and safe guards to restrict the training in some of its more…questionable elements"

"Sounds like a good idea"

"Then let us take it to a vote" Sakamoto said, standing "As head of the Sakamoto clan and chief researcher of the Kumo Science and Research bureau. I, Norimasa Sakamoto vote yes"

"Yes"

"Yes"

"I agree"

"Yes"

"Agreed"

"No"

"Yes"

"Yes"

"Agreed"

"Yes"

"No" E said numbly, knowing that it was now out of his hands.

"Then it is settled" the scientist said, hiding his smirk.

* * *

_**Hi no Kuni, present time**_

She awoke with a start, sitting up and looking from left to right. The sounds of the forest were different. Where once there were birds squawking there were now the continual speaks of crickets and other nocturnal insects in the air. It was dark, and difficult to see. The moon and stars obstructed by the canopy of the forest.

Dark, it was night "How long have we been out?"

Suddenly she felt a pulsing sensation on her upper right arm, and gingerly pulled back the sleeve of her dark purple camouflaged suit. On her arm was the tattoo of an oak tree, the form separated into several smaller parts, each one signifying the perimeter of one of the early warning seals she had placed earlier that day. Most of them were coloured black, while one on the left side was flashing red.

She slid her body against the inner bark of the hollowed out tree, pressing against it and dared take a peak at the clearing. Three dark silhouettes flashed from the forest edge, all rushing towards her position. A normal human wouldn't have been able to make out their attackers until they were right on top of them. Thankfully she was anything but normal.

She activated one of the Nibi's 'gifts'. The sclera and pupils of her eyes pulsed, changing colour from their regular almond to a feral cerulean, the round orbs of her pupils thinning out into a vertical slit. Her perception changed, all colour drained from her world, being replaced by blacks and whites as her night vision kicked into full effect.

The three figures were Ninja, all three wearing black pants and jacket, a high collared flak vest worn over their clothes, signifying that they were Jonin. They all were armed with kunai holsters strapped to their legs, and katana sheathed to their backs. But what caught her attention were the headbands they wore, three cloud markings, two of which were joined.

She cursed lightly under her breath. The three were Kumo-Nin, obviously a hunter team sent out in pursuit of her and Naruto. They came to the centre of the clearing and stopped, forming the three points of a triangle, heads darting back and forth in search of any movement.

One had to be a sensor.

Naruto stirred, and as silently as she could she placed a hand over his mouth, startling him. The child looked up to her and saw her place a finger to her lips, urging him to remain silent. She leaned in to him, her mouth a mere inch from the shell of his ear "Stay here. Don't make a sound no matter what happens, okay?"

He nodded, his eyes burning with determination, before being replaced by worry "Mom, what are you going to do?"

"Lead them away from you" she smiled a reassuring smile, leaned against the bark and took a deep breath. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try. She needed to get them away from him. Picturing an image of herself with Naruto holding onto her back she began going through a set of hand signs, exerting the bare minimum of chakra.

"_Henge no Jutsu"_ she whispered, at the same time rummaging through her vest and pulling out a pair of smoke bombs to mask the technique. She threw them into the clearing, where they exploded in massive puffs of white smoke. At the same time she was encompassed by a smaller explosion as the transformation took effect, looking over to Naruto the Nibi Jinchuriki smiled in reassurance and rushed into the clearing.

The Kumo-nin saw the smoke bombs and scattered to the tree tops just as they exploded. The movement made the sensor lose concentration and not sense the slight spike of Yugito's chakra as she transformed. So when she exploded from the smoke, taking off into the forest they guessed she was making a run for it with the child and pursued.

She jumped from branch to branch at breakneck speeds, feeling the three chakra signatures of the hunter's right behind her. Her plan was working. Now all she needed was to lose them. A Nuke-nin she may be, but the idea of killing fellow Cloud Ninja distressed her, even if it was for Naruto's sake.

They didn't seem to share her opinion. A handful of shuriken flew down from the canopy, shredding the branch she had just hopped onto. Gritting her teeth she jumped and twirled in midair, missing the throwing stars by millimetres before righting herself and landing on another branch. Turning she was forced to duck as a kunai soared past her, cutting her cheek and sending a short jolt through her body, the metallic weapon coated with lightning chakra.

Breathing a curse she reached for her own kunai holster, and pulled out three of the knives. She concentrating her main element into the weapons she watched as a coating of yellow energy encompassed them. With a short breath she fell back off the branch towards the ground, her arm blurred as she threw the knives, forcing her pursuers to break formation and scatter to avoid them.

Calmly she performed a half backward somersault in midair, landing on the forest floor in a crouch and breaking into a run again, ignoring the blood which poured down her cheek. Two Ninja hit the ground behind her and gave chase, both going over hand seals in a blur in preparation for some kind of synchronized attack.

"_Doton: Doryū Taiga!"_

The once hard soil at her feet turned into slick mud. Before Yugito could react she had sunk to her ankles and fallen face first to the ground. Gritting her teeth she tried to get free, but not before the second Ninja finished his set of seals and, skidding to a halt slammed his hands into the ground "Sorry Yugito-san, council's orders. _Doton: Doryūsō!"_

Spikes of rock pierced up from the ground at blurring speed, impaling through the woman's abdomen in an explosion of blood. She screamed in agony, making the two Ninja flinch. They knew that a wound like that wouldn't kill her. The Nibi's chakra could heal such an injury, didn't make it any easier to watch though.

Then they watched in shock and realisation as the body began to melt, turning brown before seemingly losing form and imploding in a mass of mud. They were both silent, then breathed curses and spun around; making a beeline for the clearing they had begun pursuit from.

"A mud clone" one growled through gritted teeth.

"Yeah" the other replied, the mirth in his voice apparent "She pulled a fast one on us"

* * *

_**Kumogakure no Sato, six days ago**_

The knock on the door snapped her out of her sleep, she came awake with a start, before looking bleary eyed at her door. She waited a moment, wondering if it was her imagination playing tricks on her, then another set of banging knocks. Wiping the gum from her eyes she stood, walked over to the front door and opened it.

Any residual sleep left her when she starred into the white porcelain mask of an ANBU operative. The owl like façade starred back at her unflinchingly, the hazel eyes of the Ninja looking her form up and down. She had changed her attire from her Shinobi gear to a baggy gray, short sleeved shirt and a pair of tight dark blue jeans. She was barefoot and had released her locks from the braid, letting the mane of blonde hair flow past her shoulders to the small of her back.

"Nii Yugito, by order of the Council of lightning you are hereby relieved as guardian to the Kyubi host, Uzumaki Naruto" he spoke in a deep voice which left no room for argument, before trying to push past her.

"On whose authority?" she asked, unmoving.

The ANBU frowned "By authority of the council of lightning"

"I answer only to the Raikage" she replied coldly "As do you"

"You think I enjoy being their lapdog, Captain?" the man spat in annoyance "If I had my way I would tell them to shove this order up their asses, but I can't! Now stand aside!!!"

"Not a chance" she said, standing doggedly in place, ready to use her position as a captain in the ANBU corps to her advantage "I'm your superior boy, and I think I deserve to at least take him there myself instead of allowing him to be lead off by a bunch of complete strangers!"

The ANBU looked to his associate "Sakamoto isn't going to like this"

Yugito's growl was feral, making the two elites flinch "Either you go against Sakamoto with these jokes for orders and get lightly reprimanded, or you go against me and get a broken nose and a demotion. Your call boy"

The ANBU hesitated for a moment, before his face fell "You have one hour to report him to headquarters to begin his training"

"We'll be there" she snarled before slamming the door shut in their faces with a resounding thwack.

With a cry of anger she leaned against the wall, sliding down the smooth surface to sit on the floor, her eyes a mass of conflicting emotions _"Damn him, he had always wanted a chance to take a Jinchuriki and bend it to his will. The bastard tried to get Killer Bee, then when that failed he tried to get me…now he's going to get Naruto and Raikage-sama can't do a damn thing about it!"_

She couldn't believe how blind the council was to the mad scientist. The man had wanted to get his hands on a Jinchuriki for years. This full conditioning was more than just bringing back an old training method. He wanted to make Naruto _his _weapon, _his _trump card against the enemies of Kumogakure and, possibly against his political opponents as well.

"Mom" she looked up to see him, dressed in a simple cream coloured shirt and baggy dark orange pants, looking down at her form with a worried expression "What's wrong?"

She took a shuddering breath, and he knew. She didn't know how, but saw the realisation in his eyes. His face fell, a small smile forming. It was a fake smile, but that was how he was, always hiding his emotions behind a mask of cheer so as not to worry her, by now she could tell the difference between his genuine and false expressions as if they were the sun and the moon.

"Don't worry about it" he said, pointing his thumb to his chest "I'll ace this training and become as strong as they need me to be"

She felt a pang in her heart, and it hurt.

They had packed what he needed and walked down to the entrance to the underground ANBU headquarters together. She fully dressed in her ANBU uniform, black pants and jacket, dark gray flak vest worn over the clothing, hair redone in that same braid, covered by a white cloth, and her own ANBU mask, the visage of a cat with blue whisker markings etched onto the cheeks.

Every ANBU and Ninja above the rank of Chunin knew her mask and bowed as she passed them by. She gave them no attention. Almond eyes settled on the spiky blonde hair of her charge, no, her son as he walked through the streets of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. The people gave them a wide birth, they didn't hate the boy, but they feared him for the creature he had sealed within him. What ignorant fools they all were.

Finally they came to the entrance to the ANBU headquarters, a simple single storey office building nestled in the heart of Kumogakure. Outside it looked like nothing special. That was because this was only the administrative branch of the hand picked elite. They walked through the reception to a large set of iron double doors, a glass control panel imbedded on the wall beside it. Without hesitation she pressed her palm against the screen, and watched as a blue line of light flashes over her hand, taking finger prints and running it through the database.

After a moment the huge doors opened, revealing a platform of steel, a small control panel standing on a pulpit in its centre. They both entered, the doors closing behind them and the _Azure Cat _of Kumogakure walked onto the platform, Naruto close behind. She stood over the control panel, reached out with a hand and pushed the button with the number nine etched on it.

The elevator shuddered as it came to life, and began to descend to the shadowy depths of the ANBU headquarters. This was the central hub of the Raikage's elite guard. Here, underneath the city streets of Kumogakure no Sato was what many called home. The place was a huge complex, shaped like a bee hive, consisting of twenty levels. It held living quarters, sparring chambers, laboratories, a bunker reserved for Kumogakures elite if the village was ever invaded. It held torture chambers, weapon stores and a prison which was considered beyond maximum security, reserved for the deadliest of the Cloud Villages enemies.

And this place, this bleak place was where Naruto would spend the next few years of his life, training with no light, no warmth, no compassion to become the ultimate soulless weapon for the village. She stopped herself from clutching her chest, for the pain in her heart was immense.

As the lift continued to descend she came down to a knee so that she was face to face with him, removing her mask and attaching it to her belt before she starred into his brilliant sapphire eyes "You have everything right?"

He nodded.

"Don't let him push you around Naruto, don't let him do anything you don't like nor want. You got me?"

He nodded again.

She was about to speak, then stopped, tried again and failed again. Finally her face fell, a sad smile tugging at her lips "Look at me, the child I care for like a son is about to go into the lions den and I don't know what to say"

She felt her eyes glisten, but stubbornly refused to let them fall. The old persona as the _Ice Cat_ coming into play for a moment, tightly she shut her eyes and willed for the tears to stop. A hand was on her shoulder, startling her. She glanced up and saw him look at her with a genuine smile.

"I know you're not my real mom" he said "But you've been more of a mother to me than anyone else ever has. I was all alone in Konoha. I was hated, feared and people even tried to kill me. You took me away from that. You gave me a home, a family, people who cared about me. You gave my life meaning" he seemed conflicted, scared and uncertain as he spoke the next few words "I know this seems selfish, but can I still call you mom. You know, if we ever met again?"

The tears flowed, and without a moments hesitation she put her arms around him and dragged him into an embrace, shutting her eyes tightly as she cried "Yes, I would like that Naruto. I would like that so much"

He gripped the fabric of her under-jacket, burying his face into the crook of her neck. For a while the two were frozen like that, mother and son holding each other. But like a kick to the teeth the elevator came to a stop with a colossal jolt. The doors opened the reveal the dark, dimly lit corridor of the eighteenth floor. Rising to her feet, wiping away her tears and placing her Neko mask back on her face she turned to Naruto and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up to her and smiled before the two stepped into the dark abyss.

* * *

**_Kumogakure no Sato, three days ago_**

Three days.

Three long days

Three days since Naruto disappeared into the dark depths of the ANBU headquarters.

She stood on the precipice of the bedroom which was once his, looking at the made bed, the bookshelf full of scrolls, the desk, even his small rack of training equipment under the small window. She could have sworn she was going crazy, for she saw a transparent spectre of him sitting on the desk, lying on the bed reading a scroll, looking out the window, flashing that silly grin when he had mastered a Jutsu or finished a difficult set of equations.

"_There has to be something you can do!?"_

She had tried to speak to the Raikage, get him to call for a revote, but it was all in vain. Six months, she would have to wait six months before E could try to overturn the decision. Those six months could be six months too late.

She hadn't heard from him since he vanished. The kid was strong willed, able to survive the worst someone could throw at him. But what awaited him in that place was worse than the worst. The documents off the full conditioning had been made available to her, and what she read had physically made her shudder. Electrocution, submerged in ice water, burned with pokers, put through hours of beatings and verbal abuse, training in advanced killing techniques from the get go, experimentation with the seal. They would force him to submit, continue beating him down again and again until he broke.

She came to a decision, and strode from the room without a moments thought, entering her own bedroom and walking across the timber floor to a chest beside her open window. She opened it without a thought, looking down at her black jacket and baggy pants, the yellow symbols of cloud and lightning etched onto the upper arms and thighs, iron, elbow length gauntlets with storing seals. Her dark gray Jonin vest folded over the clothes, the symbol for the cloud with an etched symbol for the two tailed cat in the background of the village symbol engraved into her right breast satchel. Her ANBU mask over the whole thing, looking at her with those hollow, empty slits for eyes.

Nestled on the other side of the chest were her weapons. This included two leg weapon holsters, each holding an assortment of kunai, shuriken, twenty meters of steel wire and paper bombs. Beside that was a mid length katana sheathed in a dark blue sheath, a circular guard, blue wrappings covering the hilt.

She took off her normal clothes, putting on her black pants and jacket, followed by her flak vest and sandals. She sat on the bed, tying her elbow length gauntlets to her arms, her holsters to her upper legs and her sword to her back. Finally she put her cat mask over her face and looked over the landscape of her home, the only place she really knew during her twenty years.

"Bye" she whispered before turning and leaving her bedroom, she walked through the living room and opened her door to the first floor of her two storey apartment block. Only to be met with her sister, leaning against the railing, arms folded, starring at her. Ignoring her she walked past her towards the stairs.

"You're going, aren't you?" she stopped, but did not turn around "I love Naruto too, but think about it. He wouldn't want you to do this!"

"How else am I going to get him out of there" Yugito asked, turning her head for a side glance at her younger sister.

"Yugito Oneechan" Samui whispered pleadingly "If you do this then you will be labelled as a missing-nin, E-sama will not be able to defend you. You'll play right into that bastards hands and you'll be in that cell beside Naruto. Do you think he would want that!?"

"I won't let him become a monster" the elder said, reaching into her vest and pulling out a small scroll from one of her abdomen satchels. She walked to her little sister and handed it to her "Give this to the Raikage when this is all said and done, it will expunge you and Kirabi from any wrongdoing"

Samui hugged herself, looking at her elder sister pleadingly "Sis, please don't"

She smiled behind her mask "Goodbye Samui"

Before her sister could try to stop her Yugito moved. her attack was a blur, her hand chopping the nerves on her sister's neck. Samui's eyes bulged before closing. She fell into her sister's arms, carrying her into her apartment and setting her on her living room couch. She turned to leave, but stopped at the door.

Looking back at her little sister one last time she closed her apartment door and vanished in a flash.

"Sorry"

* * *

She ran across the rooftops, Naruto slung to her back. The boy was unconscious and sickly pale, obviously been put through extensive sessions of his 'training'. She gritted her teeth at the word. Was this what could have happened to her and Killer Bee?

There was a flash of bluish light and she looked up, seeing the massive spires which were the electric pylons of Kumogakure. Each towering behemoth placed on one of the four corners of the inner defensive wall, using the common lightning storms to supply the village with electricity for its basic essentials. One good storm could keep the village powered for a month.

She knew she had a long journey. The village was strategically placed on top of a plateau, the only path down being a winding road along the sheer cliffs. This made it difficult for an invading army to advance upon the Shinobi village, and had saved them several times in the past. The huge walls of rock cordoning the village off were easily the size of Konoha's and much tougher, considering they were made and carved from solid rock.

Finally she reached the last building, seeing the huge vertical structure of the outer defensive wall of her village stretch up to the heavens. She stopped, feeling a sense of déjà vu. This reminded her so much of four years ago when she was scaling the walls of Konohagakure with this child on her back. Now she was doing the same thing again, only this time it was in her home village. Concentrating chakra into the soles of her feet she jumped, landing on the wall and effortlessly running up the vertical structure. She reached the top, seeing an empty corridor which would have been filled with long range specialists during a siege or a time of war.

She looked back upon her home, her eyes, hidden behind her mask, confining every contour of the rocky structures to memory. Suddenly a voice resounded from the darkness "Going somewhere, Yugito?"

She turned, and her heart literally jumped up to her throat. There stood the Rakage, fully dressed in his robes of office, looking upon her with eyes as hard as diamonds. She was no match for him, no matter the situation. But something changed. He looked upon her, diamond hard eyes softening before stepping aside.

She hesitated, thinking for a moment that it was a trick. Then she walked across the corridor between the village and the outside world. She gave the Raikage one last glance. He stood with his head bowed, eyes closed as if in penance.

"In six hours" he spoke, his voice saddened "I won't be able to keep it a secret much longer. I will be forced to list you as a Nuke-nin, and send a Hunter team after you" he looked into her eyes, conflicted as to what to say next, then he closed his eyes and bowed his head again "Go"

She hopped up to the battlements, looking down at the seemingly bottomless abyss in front of her, but something in her stopped. She turned, locking eyes with the Raikage.

"Sorry" she whispered, before she leaned back and fell from the battlements.

For a moment the leader of Kumogakure no Sato looked down at the ground, then a pensive smile appeared on the giant mans lips "What do you have to be sorry for? Stupid blonde"

* * *

_**Hi no Kuni, present day**_

The mud clone had bought her a few moments, but that was all. Her pursuers were definitely Jonin level Ninja. They had left one of they're number behind to make sure her little stunt wasn't a trick. He had followed her the entire time, spiking his chakra subtly every now and then to keep his comrades on track.

She continued to run, changing direction every now and then to try and lose her pursuer. But to no avail. He was a skilled tracker, and had seen through every move she made to elude him. Now he had met up with his two compatriots, and they were chasing after her. There was one advantage. They would not attack for fear of hurting Naruto, and taking the wrath of both the chief scientist of the Science and Research Bureau and the Raikage.

The kage would have probably beaten them to a bloody pulp for wounding 'Yugito' so badly in the first place. But she was running out of options. She would not draw upon the power of the Nibi against her fellow Ninja. They knew this, and where using it to their advantage. As far as they were concerned she was a normal A-class Nuke-nin whom the village wanted brought back alive, along with her charge. The Nibi and the Kyubi were to important to the village for them to just kill the hosts.

Suddenly the dense undergrowth gave way to a clearing, or to be more precise a dirt road. She stumbled, expecting more foliage and putting to much weight into her movements, before righting herself again. She skidded to a halt, looked at the forest beyond and prepared to burst into motion again.

"Hey" a voice, middle aged and deadly serious came to her exhausted hearing "What are you doing here, this is Hi no Kuni"

She turned to see a tall man, in his late forties with a long messy mane of pure white hair, skin was tanned by the climate, eyes a dark obsidian with long thin read markings running from the bottom of his eyes to his jaw. A strange hatai-ite was attached to his forehead, two small stubby looking horns with a strange symbol she didn't recognise engraved into the metal. He wore a pair of green robes with a mesh shirt underneath, a red jacket, large scroll tied to the small of his back and a pair of ridiculous looking sandals

Then she recognised him, and paled. He was in her bingo book, one of the most dangerous loyal Ninja to Konohagakure no Sato. Secretly he had been branded with a retreat-on-sight order to anyone below high A-class.

Jiraiya

* * *

**_Glossary_**

Genin - Junior Ninja

Chunin - Middle Ninja

Jonin - High Ninja

Hi no Kuni - Land of Fire

Kaminara no Kuni - Land of Lightning

Kumogakute no Sato - Village Hidden in the Clouds

Konohagakure no Sato - Village Hidden in the Leaves

Raikage - Lightning Shadow

Hokage - Fire Shadow

Yoindaime - Fourth

Nibi no Bakeneko - Two Tailed Monster Cat

Hachibi no Kyougyu - Eight Tailed Giant Ox

Kyubi no Yoko - Nine Tailed Demon Fox

Henge no Jutsu - Transformation Technique

Doton: Doryū Taiga - Earth Release: Earth Flow River

Doton: Doryūsō - Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears

* * *

_**Right folks, this must be without a shadow of a doubt the longest chapter I have ever written, and that's saying something. So if you're wondering about Naruto's time in Kumogakure no Sato it will be covered, but mostly in flashbacks and the odd scene with one of the characters of the Cloud village. They won't be back in force until much later.**_

_**So anyways, read, enjoy and remember. Reviews make the world go round lol.**_


	3. Chapter 2: Dubious Circumstances

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Dubious Circumstances**_

_**Borderlands of Hi no Kuni**_

She stood, starring into the eyes of one of the most powerful Ninja on the continent. He was a legend from the Second Shinobi World War. A Ninja who had fought against the best in the world, called a Sannin, a legendary Ninja by Hanzo the Salamander, leader of Amegakure and arguably the greatest Ninja of his generation. The Spy Master of Konohagakure no Sato, who's spy network was considered one of the best in the world, Sage of the Toads and an unparalleled master of the art of sealing.

Jiraiya starred right back, his mind taking in every feature and contour of his surprise guest's form. He knew her from somewhere, but couldn't remember where. Then he remembered. Very few Spy Masters knew every detail about the hosts of the Biju, the tailed beasts of legend. She was slightly older than her picture, but he knew exactly who she was.

Yugito Nii, Jonin and ANBU captain of Kumogakure no Sato, low S-class Ninja and Jinchuriki to the Nibi no Bakeneko, one of the Village Hidden in the Clouds ultimate weapons. Finding this information out was no small feet. To the rest of the world she was just a talented young Ninja. Her condition was an S-class secret, and he lost quite a few spies just confirming it.

Her head snapped back, and she took off in a dead run into the forest. He was about to move to intercept, but stopped when he saw something clinging to her back, and it was not a backpack. It was a child, maybe eight years old, with spiked dark blonde hair. The Nibi container had a kid? Impossible, she was far too young. Then he saw the kids face, only for a moment, but he made out at least three whisker-like markings on his cheek, tanned skin and brilliant sapphire eyes.

"I know that kid" he whispered under his breath, his brain rattling through a mass of information to try and remember. Then he remembered. It had been five years ago. He had returned to Konoha to foil an assassination attempt on his deceased student's son. He had watched him from afar, waiting for the assassins to make their move.

"Naruto" he whispered. A gust of wind blew by him, swaying his long messy white hair.

Jiraiya was about to pursue when he heard the tapping of sandals on bark. Looking up he saw another three silhouettes, forms darkened by the positioning of the sun. They flew over him and disappeared into the forest, the same direction where that woman and Naruto had gone. The three disappeared into the forest canopy. It was obvious by their formation and speed that they were pursuing the two.

There was a series of sudden thuds, and looking down the Toad Sage saw a small line of kunai dug into the earth at his feet, each one possessing the fluttering form of an already lit paper bomb.

"Oh shit" Jiraiya cursed audibly, jumping back just as the line of bombs exploded in a mass of flame and dirt. Caught in the aftermath he was thrown into the forest, slamming into and snapping the thin trunk of a tree. With a groan the forty six year old staggered to his feet, hand patting a sore back "Alright" he growled, reaching up to pat the twigs and leaves from his mane of hair "If that's how you want to play"

He took a breath, concentrated his chakra to the soles of his feet and exploded into motion, giving chase to the two groups. It had been four years since that incident, four years since he heard that his godson had been kidnapped by Kumo-nin. For the first four years of that boy's life he had been working in the shadows. Fully utilising his spy network to hunt down and nullify any and all threats against him, whether they be external or internal.

Sadly he missed one, and a week after the incident he had received word from his old sensei, telling him that Naruto had been captured by Kumo-nin, most likely collateral after their failed attempt to kidnap the heir of the Hyuga clan. He and his sensei had tried to mount a rescue attempt, but they were impeded by the elders of the Council of Fire. Tensions between the two villages escalated, and all attempts at a rescue mission ceased. Even his sensei Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, had been forced to give up any hope on getting Naruto back. The entire affair had hurt the old man, and he had blamed himself for the boy's loss.

But now he had a chance to make it all right. He didn't know the full situation, but one thing was clear as day to him. Naruto had to be taken back. This time he would not fail the kid, he would be there to protect him, keep him safe and help him become a young man his mother and father would be proud off.

He jumped from branch to branch, giving pursuit to the three Ninja. The sun was no longer obstructing his vision. He could tell by the colour of their armoured suits and flak vests that they were Ninja from Kumo, and they were pursuing the woman.

An explosion sounded off ahead of him, a cloud of white smoke rising in the distance. He knew there was a battle kicking off, Kumo-nin versus Kumo-nin right in the Land of Fires borders. The political ramifications for this would be immense. War had been declared over much less in the history of the elemental nations.

Ahead of him Yugito held three more kunai in her hands, just finishing tying exploding tags to each one. As she jumped she spun, throwing the three knives in different directions. She heard them stab into the surrounding trees, waited a couple of seconds and bringing her hands together in a basic sign shouted "Kai!!!"

The paper bombs caught fire, burned out and exploded, sending shards of wood and debris at the Kumo-Jonin. The Nibi container caste a brief glance back, only to see the three come through the smoke with the odd cut or scrape, but otherwise unharmed. Gritting her teeth she continued to jump from branch to branch.

This was not good. She was down to three kunai, six shuriken and twenty meters of wire. At the rate she was using them soon all she would have left was her katana, and Yugito did not want to get into a close range fight with these guys. Not with Naruto hanging onto her for dear life.

Then there was the man she had run into on the dirt road. Jiraiya of the Sannin would definitely report this chance encounter to Konoha, and war had been declared over considerably less. A skirmish taking place between foreign Ninja in their territory would not be looked upon favourably. All she wanted was to get Naruto out of Kumo, and now she may have inadvertently caused another war like the one four years ago.

"Mom!"

His voice roused her from her dangerous thoughts, and not a moment too soon. She landed on a branch, crouched and using the momentum of her bent knees jumped and spun. Watching as a wave of shuriken swished by, one grazed her cheek, sending blood dripping to the bark.

"Mom" Naruto called worriedly, his hands gripping onto her jacket "You're bleeding!"

"It's nothing" she replied reassuringly, ignoring the warm liquid which flowed down her cheek. The shuriken bit deeper than she thought "I'm fine"

A kunai shot into her hand from her wrist holster, and she held it up defensively, cat like eyes scanning the surrounding area as three dark silhouettes appeared all around her, surrounding them and blocking off all escape routes. With her free hand she reached to the katana, sheathed to a scabbard at the small of her back, and drew it with blurring speed.

"Yugito Nii" the leader spoke in a threatening manner, his face hidden behind a swallow mask "Surrender and hand the boy over!"

She smiled menacingly "And condemn him to that hell. Not a chance!"

"Be reasonable" another piped up, this one wearing an eagles mask "If you surrender maybe Raikage-sama will spare you"

She snorted at that. The Raikage wouldn't be able to do a thing. She was beyond his protection now. Law decreed that anyone who committed such crimes against the council was to be labelled a Nuke-nin with a hunt down and kill order attached. If she was taken alive then she would be hauled back to ANBU headquarters, and have the Nibi forcefully removed from her body. The stress from such forceful extractions was always enough to kill the host, and another baby girl would be taken from her family and turned into a weapon. That was what happened to her predecessor.

"You know that I'm beyond his help" she said grimly "Penalty for my crime is death. Can't have any rebellious weapons after all"

The one behind her threw a salvo of shuriken, forcing her to skip back and perform a backward somersault, falling from the branch and landing on the forest floor. She steadied herself into a crouch and looked up just in time to see the sparrow finish a set of hand signs. He hit the ground in a crouch, hands resting on the earth.

"_Doton: Doryū Taiga!"_

She jumped high, looking down long enough to see the ground where she once stood turn to slippery muck. The same Jutsu again meant they were trying to take her alive. Her status as host to one of their tailed beasts made her too much of a commodity to just kill. They wanted to cat, and the fox.

"Mom, behind you" Naruto shouted quickly, and she turned to see a small sickle flying towards her, a chain attached to its butt, whose other side was wrapped around eagles right hand. She pivoted her body in midair, watching the miniature war scythe pass by, the tip cutting through her clothes and nicking her abdomen. Eagle gave the chain a yank, and the sickle flew back at her. In response she spun, watching with batted breath as the weapon passed by back to its owner.

A shadow fell above her and turning she came face to face with the white porcelain mask of her third opponent, this one was that of a crow. She acted on instinct, her body going on autopilot she stabbed her kunai through his abdomen. Crow grunted in pain before his form was encompassed with yellow light, crackling and sparking with barely contained power.

Yugito cursed under her breath as the lightning clone exploded, tearing through her chest and abdomen, throwing her and Naruto to the forest floor below. On instinct she spun to protect the child hanging onto her back, and faced the ground as it hurriedly rose up to meet them. She raised her hands to protect herself, and pain exploded through her as she slammed onto the ground. Ribs cracked, couldn't move her right hand, most likely broken. The lightning had burned through her clothes, her Jonin vest protecting her from the worst, but her abdomen, upper thighs and shoulders were badly burned.

The pain was unbearable, even if the Nibi could heal it. All that was needed was five minutes, but the two tailed monster cat was not the nine tailed demon fox, and while she could heal burns, cuts, scraps and many a fatal injury she could not mend bones, not without considerable effort.

Her head spun, eyes grew heavy. She couldn't hear Naruto calling out her name, but she could see his youthful face as he pushed her onto her back. He was crying, oceanic orbs laced with worry and panic. Her vision blurred as she watched the Ninja jump down from the treetops and slowly approach her.

"Don't you think that was a little much?" Eagle asked.

"Meh, she's a Jinchuriki. She can take it" Crow replied uncaringly "Besides she's a Nuke-nin now"

"But she was holding back against us" Swallow piped up "If she really wanted to hurt us she would have used something more than explosive tagged kunai!"

"It's her loss" Crow said flippantly "We can't afford to be merciful. The village needs the Nibi and the Kyubi to stay at the top of the food chain, and she's just lost her dependability"

They stood over both her and Naruto now, expressionless masks bearing down on her. She tried to move, tried to get the kid behind her, but a boot slammed forcefully against her chest. Yugito hacked up blood and gasped in pain as she felt a few more ribs crack under the pressure.

"Don't move. Any wrong moves and we will kill you" his eyes radiated disgust and hate upon her as he kicked her in the abdomen "Stupid bitch, couldn't let it go could you"

"Mom"

"Shut up" crow growled, backhanding Naruto and sending him landing on the ground hard "What does a monster like you need with a mother anyway!? I suppose monsters are drawn to monsters huh!?"

"Come on man, knock it off" Eagle warned, but his caution fell on deaf ears.

"Might as well stop her from attempting an escape" the ANBU with the crow mask growled, drawing his katana and stepping to her "Should I cut off one leg or two?"

Any threatening move he made towards her was halted by a sudden explosion of white smoke. Surprised by the suddenness of the attack the three acted on instinct and jumped away, their forms exploding through the smoke as they went and landing on a few nearby branches.

There was a clack of sandals on the hard ground, a repeated clacking of sandals on the ground. The smoke cleared and a voice, loud and boisterous resounded through the forests "I am the hermit of Mount Myouboku, the wise and immortal spirit. That's right it is I! The Toad Mountain Sage!" the smoke cleared completely and the three Jonin's eyes widened at who they saw, standing on one foot, one hand sweeping forward while the other swept back, head partially hidden by a massive mane of messy white hair.

"Jir-ai-wha?" he slipped on a patch of slick mud, landing on his back with a painful thud "Oh – not what I had in mind"

Naruto could only stare at the fallen form, flopping like a guppy as he tried to right himself. He seemed to give up, then reeling his legs back flipped to his feet, a great resounding clacking going through the forest as his sandals hit solid earth. The three Ninja did not seem impressed. The kid was looking at him like he was an idiot.

"Out of the way old man" crow snarled "This doesn't concern you!"

The Toad Sage looked up at the Ninja, and he did not look impressed "Kumo-nin, fighting amongst them selves in the territory of the land of fire. Oh I think this concerns me a great deal" he looked at Naruto for a moment, a small smile on his face "Besides, if the kid is who I think he is then it's only natural that I step in"

He made a set of hand signs with blurring speed, finishing with the tiger seal and a smirk "Welcome to the Land of Fire! _Katon: Endan!!!"_

He puffed out his chest as he inhaled the surrounding hair, which deflated as he exhaled, spitting out a continuous stream of scarlet flame towards the Cloud-nin. They scattered, the fire hitting the branch and burning right through.

Both swallow and eagle landed on the ground, skidding to a halt. A shadow fell on them and they turned to see the Toad Sage bearing down on them, each hand crackling with blue power as two balls of swirling azure formed. His expression deadly serious he slammed the balls of power into their chests with a colossal roar of the techniques name.

"_Tsuin Rasengan!"_

Both men were struck, their bodies seemingly folding in on themselves before they were thrown back with incredible force, thrown through the air and smashing into the earth, leaving trails of dishevelled dirt in their wake. Crow was above him as the Sannin landed, his own hands going through a set of hand signs, he finished with the tiger.

"You're not the only one who can use fire release old man, _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_

He inhaled air, and using a ring made of his middle and index fingers blew out a large ball of crimson fire. The fireball fell upon Jiraiya, exploding the moment it hit the ground. Crow landed on the ground, falling into a crouch and looking at the destruction he had wrought. The ball dissipated, showing a crater of charred earth. The Sannin was nowhere to be found.

"Nice try son" a voice stated from behind him "But it's obvious you can't tell the difference between a _Kage Bunshin_ and the real deal"

Crow turned to be met with a fist, slamming into his face with bone crunching force. He heard rather than felt his nose shatter under the strike before he was lifted into the air and thrown against an unyielding tree stump. Slumping to the ground, nursing his nose, the man looked up to see the Toad Sage approach.

"I'm not going to kill you or you're little friend's kid. Instead I'll send you back to Kumogakure with a little warning. Don't ever enter our land again unless you want to spark another war, and believe me we have a lot of incentive thanks to that little stunt you pulled four years ago" he stood before him, an unmovable object "Oh, the kid and his friend there are now under my protection. You can come after us if you like, but I might not be so merciful next time" he reeled back his fist, the palm coated with chakra and without warning slammed it into Crows face, breaking his jaw and knocking him unconscious.

Taking a deep breath the seal master turned and walked back to the kid and his unconscious _mother_. Watching as the young blonde watched him wearily, sitting on his knees between the blonde haired woman and him. Jiraiya shook his head in bemusement, amazed at how alike the kid was to his father on looks. Take away the whisker markings on his cheeks and he would have become a carbon copy.

He reached out with his hand, and the kid flinched like he was about to be struck. That saddened him, but it didn't stop him from ruffling the boy's hair. The child opened his eyes and looked up at him, curiosity in his gaze "You alright kid, not hurt anywhere?"

"I'm f-fine" he stuttered, a little unnerved by the massive man before him "B-but mom, I think she's hurt really bad"

"Let's take a look then" Jiraiya replied, coming down to a knee to check on the wounds of one Yugito Nii. He guessed she was between eighteen and twenty two years of age, and the rumours about her beauty were hardly exaggerated. Full lips, cream coloured skin, long blonde hair tied in a braid of white cloth, nice bust, curves in all the right places. She would give any girl in Konoha a run for their money in the looks department, more than a worthy peeking prize for his research too, in his opinion.

If she recovered the woman would definitely be in his next book, under an alias of course.

He checked her wounds and shivered, second degree burns along the shoulders, thighs, and abdomen. Her clothes around these areas were smouldering ruins but it looked like the Jonin vest she wore protected her from the worst of it. A deep cut ran along her cheek, but as he watched the wound sealed with a sudden puff of steam. The burn marks were receding as well, albeit slowly. The tales he heard about a Jinchuriki's healing abilities weren't exaggerated. But as he checked her pulse and injuries, using what little medical expertise he had he felt cracked and broken ribs, guessed she had a concussion and her right arm was bent at a funny angle. What was worse was that they weren't healing.

She needed a hospital.

Gently he put his arms around her and lifted her off the ground, grimacing when he heard a pained moan escape her lips. Naruto looked on worriedly, and with a sigh Jiraiya gently put the girl down. There was no way of moving her in her condition, not without making the injuries worse. He needed another way to move her, but how?

Then it hit him, gingerly he sat down cross-legged on the ground, his hand reaching into his robe, producing an empty sealing scroll. The Toad Sage pulled off the seal and opened it, revealing an intricate set of runes, all surrounding a circle of empty paper.

"What are you going to do?"

He looked over at the young blonde "Her wounds aren't bad, but I can't move her normally. So I'm going to seal her into this scroll until we get to a hospital"

"She'll be alright, right?"

He smiled slightly "Yeah, she's going to be alright"

He made a couple of hand signs, slamming his hand on top of the empty scroll and watched as the Nibi Jinchuriki disappeared in a puff of white smoke. The kanji symbol for human appeared on the empty space, and in one smooth motion he rolled up the scroll, reattached the seal and deposited it back into his coat. But Jiraiya wasn't done yet, biting his thumb with enough pressure to draw blood he imprinted the red liquid on the fingertips of his right hand and made the hand seals for boar, dog, bird monkey and ram.

He crouched, slamming his hand into the earth, summoning runes, marking themselves on the rocky surface before another explosion of white smoke. It cleared, revealing a small toad wearing a blue jacket, its skin yellow with dark orange markings around his eyes and along his stomach. The small omnivore looked up at the Toad Sage, and raised a webbed hand in greeting.

"Yo Jiraiya, what's happening dude?"

"Ah Gamajiro" the old man returned with a wave of his own "I need you to take a message to the Sandaime for me"

The small creature looked up "Do I get some candy?"

Jiraiya chuckled "Yes, yes, the old man has a small supply hidden in the second drawer of his desk"

"Good enough for me" Gamajiro replied "So what's the message?"

"Tell the old man that I've found _him_" the Mountain Toad Sage explained, and at the small toads questioning look he reiterated "He'll understand what I mean"

The toad thought about it for a moment, then shrugged dismissively "Sure, whatever"

"Wow, that is so cool" both sage and summon turned to see the eight year old blonde on all fours starring at the small toad in wonder "It's a frog, and it talks!"

"Frog" Gamajiro repeated the word for a moment, looking incredulously at the blonde "I'm not a frog, I'm a toad!"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment "Is there a difference?"

------

_**Hokage's Office, Konohagakure no Sato**_

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, patriarch to the prestigious Sarutobi clan, peered through clasped hands at the door leading out of his office, mind reeling over the information relayed to him. His home was on the verge of the greatest internal conflict since the founding of the village nearly eighty years ago.

Evidence had recently been placed before him that the Uchiha clan was planning on performing a coup d'état of the village council. This was worrying news as the clan was one of the two founders of the village. They were the recipients of the infamous and legendary Doujutsu Kekkei Genkai known as the Sharingan, and held a lot of sway with certain elements of the Ninja and Civilian populations.

To make matters worse any chance of trying to mediate the situation was being cannibalised by his former rival and fellow village elder Danzo who was even now assembling his own division of ANBU, the Root, in preparation to met the Uchiha head on.

The results would be a bloody and costly struggle which would weaken the Village Hidden in the Leaves, leaving them open to invasion from one of the other Shinobi nations. With a sigh the legendary Professor leaned back in his chair, absently reaching into his top desk drawer for his pipe and matches. He lit the pipe, puffed out a mouthful of tobacco smoke and looked up to the portraits of his predecessors and supposed successor. Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage and founder of Konoha, his own sensei and younger brother to the Shodai Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime, and finally his successor, the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato.

He looked at the portrait of the Yondaime with a solemn expression, feeling a familiar sense of guilt well up within him. The man had given up his own life to defeat and seal the Kyubi no Yoko and his one wish, his one dying wish was that the host to the demon, his own son, be seen as a hero. A sad chuckle escaped the old man's lips. He had tried. Instilled laws that Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki be hidden from those his age. That any mention of the demon was to be punished severely.

He had tried, but his successors dying wish had not been fulfilled. Many of the civilian villagers had hated the boy, seeing him as the demon. Some even going far enough to try to kill or assassinate him. The Uchiha had wanted him put to death. His rival Danzo wanted to take the boy and turn him into a mindless weapon. It took everything he had to keep them at bay. Jiraiya's spy network and his own wish to help Naruto had been extremely helpful, and together they had saved him from dozens of assassination attempts.

Sadly one had gotten through, and what was worse was that he didn't even hear about it until a week after the fact. The Hyuga Incident had hit the village hard, and the death of the clan heads brother to stop a continuation of hostilities had been very hard to watch. The child's ANBU guards reported that they hadn't seen him at the orphanage. They had scoured the city for him, but found nothing.

Hiruzen knew that Kumogakure had something to do with it, and his former apprentice agreed with him. His suspicions proved correct, and he had tried to assemble a strike team to take the boy back. The council, most notably the Uchiha and elders had put a stop to it, hindering his and Jiraiya's attempts at every turn. They argued that any attempt at such an action would lead to a continuation of hostilities with the Hidden Cloud, something no one wanted. Eventually he was forced to abandon any chance of a rescue. Jiraiya had been furious with his decision and the two hadn't spoken to each other since.

"Yo"

He frowned, looking around for the source of the voice. There was no one else in the room.

"Hey pops"

The Sandaime looked around again, his frown firmly in place. Was it the wind? Was his old mind finally playing tricks on him?

"Down here!!!"

The suddenness of the shout was enough to make the sixty five year old jump in surprise, barely grabbing his smoking pipe before it fell on his lap. With a growl he looked down in surprise, eyes wide to see a small yellow toad, no bigger than his hand, starring back up at him.

"Who are you?"

The little creature looked insulted "I'm Gamajiro, and I have a message addressed to you from Jiraiya"

"Jiraiya" the old man repeated numbly, forgetting that his student had a contract with these pesky little fellows.

"Jiraiya" the toad confirmed with a groan of annoyance "So do you want to hear it or not? He said it was pretty urgent"

The Sandaime coughed into his hand "Yes, go on"

"Okay" the yellow amphibian chirped "His message is, and I repeat…'I found him'!"

Silence reined as the old man turned the words over in his head, frowning at his students lack of information_ "I found him, what the hell is he talking about? It's obviously something he considers to be obvious…then that must mean-"_

His jaw went slack, and this time the pipe did fall on his lap. What followed was a series of pained cries and colourful curses which sent his ANBU detail running.

------

_**One Hour Later, Konohagakure no Sato, Konoha Hospital**_

He never liked hospitals. To him walking into the reception, seeing the blank white walls, smelling the disinfectant brought back memories of more painful times; when he was either one of the patients in this hospital, visiting fellow Ninja ravaged by war or going in to identify the corpse of a friend. Yes, Sarutobi Hiruzen never visited the hospital unless it was absolutely necessary.

His student was waiting for him in the reception, sitting on one of the chairs which flanked the walls, talking in his usual boisterous manner to someone beside him, although who the old man could not say. As he got closer he saw who it was, and a smile spread across his aging lips.

It was Naruto. The boy had grown up, and was nearly twice the size he was since the last time he saw him. He had let his hair grow a little, but it was the same mess he remembered, his skin was still tanned, eyes still those unnaturally blue. He looked well fed and cared for. Although when the aging Hokage got closer he saw that the child seemed worried about something, for although he was talking to Jiraiya there was hesitancy in his voice.

The Sandaime looked around. There were a couple of nurses at the reception. The odd doctor hurried through the corridor, but other than that it seemed quiet. Obviously they didn't recognise him, to which he was grateful.

Jiraiya noticed him then, and with a smile he rose from his place, Naruto following suit, and waved "Hey old man, long time!"

"Yes, four years if I'm not mistaken" Sarutobi returned, before setting his sights on the small boy partially hiding behind the Sannin "Hello Naruto, do you remember me?"

The boy seemed to think for a moment, and then he lit up somewhat "You're the old man who used to come visit me in the orphanage"

"Hey brat, mind your manners" Jiraiya barked in slight outrage "This is the Hokage!"

The boy seemed to realise his folly, but instead of hastily apologizing he frowned, crossing his arms over his chest "Ain't he a little old to be the Kage?"

Hiruzen watched in stunned silence, then he threw his head back and laughed "Yes Naruto, I am the old man who used to visit you at the orphanage. My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage" he then turned to his former pupil, a questioning look on his face "He looks fine Jiraiya, I don't see why you brought him to the hospital"

"I didn't come to the hospital for him" Jiraiya replied, before looking around and leaning in "I need you to gather a team of medical Ninja and a squad of ANBU, only those you can trust"

Sarutobi nodded, his face taking on a serious façade "For whom?"

"A Kumo-nin who was travelling with Naruto, she suffered major second degree burns, cracked ribs, a mild concussion and a broken right arm" at his sensei's frown the Sannin reiterated "I'm guessing she was the boys protector, for she was fleeing and fighting the Cloud Ninja in pursuit"

The old man's eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing again. Before he could speak Naruto's voice interrupted "You're talking about Yugito-chan right?"

Both looked down at the blonde, seeing both worry and resolve in his eyes "You know her Naruto?"

The blonde nodded "She's my mom"

"You're mom" they both intoned with a slight frown.

He nodded "She's not my real mom, but she took care of me while I was in Kumo, and when the council overruled the Raikage to put me through some sort of illegal training Yugito-chan came to my rescue. She gave up everything she knew to protect me"

Both were deep in thought with this information for a moment, before Hiruzen looked up at the ceiling "Suki, Mei"

Silently two figures fell from the rooftops, hitting the floor in a kneeling position, heads bowed. They were ANBU, dressed in full armour with katana sheathed at their backs. Their faces were hidden by the porcelain animal masks of a panther and a wolf. One had long black hair, done up in a ponytail while the other was the colour of chestnut, and shoulder length.

"Hai, Hokage-sama" they stated in unison.

"Take the boy and get him something to eat, until otherwise you are his protectors"

"Hai, Hokage-sama"

He looked to Naruto with a reassuring smile "Go with them and get something to eat, you can trust us"

He hesitated, before nodding and letting the two women lead him to the hospital cafeteria. When he was out of sight the Sandaime looked up to the rafters again, taking a puff from his pipe "Yuji" another ANBU silently fell from the rafters, landing silently in a kneeling position, a plain white boar mask covering his face "Gather Misaki's medical team, fast"

The third ANBU nodded before disappearing in a swirl of wind and leaves.

"I'm also going to perform a level five chakra seal when the medics have finished with her" Jiraiya added when the ANBU left the hospital.

The Sandaime frowned. It wasn't unusual for a chakra seal to be placed on a captured foreign Ninja, but level five was usually used for those of Kage level "That seems a little extreme"

The Sannin looked around, as if searching for prying eyes "I have a suspicion that I know who she is"

He frowned at his former pupil's cryptic manner "Spit it out, Jiraiya"

"Not here" the Sannin stated, leading the old man down the hallway to one of several one bedroom rooms. Once the door slid shut Jiraiya put his hands together, blurring through hand seals before finishing with the ram seal. To the naked eye there was nothing but a slight sizzle of air, but a bubble of chakra formed around the room, clinging to the walls, doors and windows. The privacy seal complete Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe and motioned for Jiraiya to continue.

"Nii Yugito, Jonin level Ninja of Kumogakure no Sato, and Jinchuriki to the two tailed monster cat"

He narrowed his eyes at the statement. Yes that would make the use of a level five chakra seal very necessary "Does anyone else know?"

Jiraiya shook his head "Just me, you and the brat"

"For know lets keep it that way" the Sandaime ordered "If the council found out that there are not one, but two possibly hostile Jinchuriki in this village then they will panic"

"Naruto isn't hostile"

"Yes I know, but will the council?" Sarutobi frowned, taking a puff of his pipe "Especially in this charged climate"

His former student gave him a questioning look "I thought the situation with the Uchiha was smoothing out"

"Negotiations are failing"

"That bad huh"

Sarutobi nodded gravely "Danzo and his Root aren't helping the situation either. If a compromise cannot be reached soon then both the Uchiha loyalists and Root are going to be fighting each other in the streets"

"And you will be forced to assemble your own ANBU and Jonin to restore order-"

"Leading to a three way civil war" Sarutobi finished.

Jiraiya leaned against the wall, arms folded across his broad chest, head bowed and eyes closed in contemplation. He knew from his spy network in Konoha that it was bad, but to hear it from his sensei's mouth was the final nail in the coffin for him "You can count on me and my network old man"

He nodded with a hum, taking another smoke of his pipe "Thank you Jiraiya"

"Who else is supporting you besides your personal ANBU squads?"

"I have the support of the Hyuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Akamichi and the Inuzuka" was his reply.

"Most of the major clans" Jiraiya said "You definitely have the numbers advantage"

"The Uchiha have little support in the Jonin or ANBU" Hiruzen explained "But they have considerable influence among the Chunin"

"How many Chunin"

"Around a hundred and fifty" Hiruzen muttered "Add that to the Uchiha clan Ninja. All of whom possess Sharingan and are all between Chunin to Jonin level Ninja. The numbers are around two hundred"

Jiraiya frowned "This has to be the worst time to bring Naruto back"

"No kidding" Sarutobi agreed "For now we'll keep his and his guardian a secret until this potential disaster is stabilised"

"Yeah" the Sannin agreed "If either Danzo or Fugaku find out that we have two Jinchuriki in the hospital then the party could start early"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, followed by a calm feminine voice "Hokage-sama, you called for us?"

"Yes Misaki-san" Sarutobi replied, nodding to Jiraiya to dispel the privacy Jutsu.

The door slid open to reveal a fairly young woman. Her striking emerald eyes and smooth features framed by a mane of chocolate brown locks. Following her were another three Shinobi, all Chunin with medical patches attached to their shoulders, right below the leaf and fire symbols.

The woman nodded her head "Hokage-sama"

The Sandaime nodded his head before speaking "As of this moment this is an S-class secret, you are all not allowed to reveal what you see here under severe punishment. Do you understand me?"

The four looked among each other uncertainly before Misaki spoke "We understand, Hokage-sama"

He turned his head to Jiraiya, who took out a small storage scroll from his coat and, taking off the seal opened the scroll and spread it across the floor. The medics looked on with interest as the seal master released the seal, and watched with equal interest as a young blonde woman appeared through the white smoke. Obviously badly wounded and in need of immediate attention, then they saw the Kumo headband on her forehead and hesitated.

"Well" the Sandaime asked with a frown "Step to it"

------

No one knew where the base of operations for Root was. There was much speculation among the ranks of the Hokage's personal guard and the regular Ninja forces but no one knew where they gathered. The truth was that the Ne had no central base of operations.

Deep under the surface of Konohagakure's old town district, in the oldest sewer systems of the village was the new temporary headquarters of the secretive branch of ANBU known as Root, and they were assembling in full force, gathering together in a drained out chamber. Almost fifty elite Ninja had gathered from every corner of the Hidden Leaf Village, answering the call of their master.

The leader in question sat on a tatami mat in the middle of the crevice, outwardly calm and collected. Dressed in a white high collared robe, a rickety walking stick laid out to his left. The full right side of his body covered in bandages, even across the right side of his face, obviously missing an eye and sporting a stump which was once a right arm it was obvious the man had been through war.

Silence was constant, his soldiers, all kneeling with their heads bowed did not make a single movement or gesture. They were as still as statues, waiting for his order. Each Shinobi had been put through severe mental and physical conditioning, trained to operate at maximum efficiency with no emotion. They were the perfect soldiers.

Danzo frowned. He did not like assembling his Root like this, but the current situation with the Uchiha was becoming worse by the moment. The Uchiha were becoming too arrogant for they're own good. Their supposed superiority over all other Konoha Shinobi was making them a serious liability to the village. If action was not taken soon then Konoha would be lost.

The consequences of open conflict were unacceptable. Civil war would weaken Konoha, and other nations would use the civil strife to their advantage, declaring war and further weakening Hi no Kuni. Iwa was most likely to take advantage, they and Konoha had been on frosty relationship since the end of the Third Great Shinobi World War, and the Rock-nin would take any chance to weaken their leaf rivals.

What was worse was that Sarutobi's lack of action to counter the Uchiha clan before they made their move. He had tolerated his old rivals softening nature up until now, but his lack of action was near suicidal in the one eyed elders mind. Instead of forcing the Uchiha to submit Hiruzen wanted to negotiate, a useless practise in his eyes. Sure Fugaku and his clan could capitulate now, but what about next time?

He heard movement in the rafters above and watched as an ANBU fell silently from above. The elder not even batting an eyelash as he fell into a kneeling stance, head bowed in silent reverence. Danzo eyed the plain white bore mask and immediately knew him as the operative he had implanted in Sarutobi's ANBU ranks.

"Report" the Cyclops ordered lightly.

The man nodded his head "An hour ago Jiraiya of the Sannin arrived in the Konoha hospital with a small child in tow. That child has been confirmed as Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko" the beginning of the report made Danzo pause, carefully he put his cup of herb tea to the side, before giving his subordinate his undivided attention "He asked Hokage-sama for a medical team, one he trusted to treat an unknown female Kumo-nin, identity unconfirmed"

Danzo hesitated for a moment, before nodding his head. Yuji bowed, then like a wraith jumped up to the rafters once again with short bursts of chakra to his feet. All the while his leader was in quiet contemplation. If word got out of this child's return to Konoha then the Uchiha would perceive it as a threat and act prematurely. They had always been stout opposition to keeping the child alive after the Kyubi attack.

But soon an idea sprang into his mind. If he played this game right then he would gain a Jinchuriki, and not just any Jinchuriki but the strongest of all the Jinchuriki to mould into a weapon for the greater good of the village. A plan was already forming in his mind, followed by several backup strategies for every scenario.

After a moment Danzo once again reached for his herbal tea, sipping the lukewarm liquid as he continued to make preparations. With a wave of his hand he dismissed all but five Root operatives, sending them back to their positions within the village.

He did not know who this female Kumo-nin was, and until he had confirmation of her identity he would not bother with her. Questions as to why they were here could also wait for a later time. Uzumaki Naruto was his primary interest, but for now he would play his part as Hiruzen's ally in this mess and keep the boy a secret from Fugaku and his Uchiha horde.

He would do what was best for Konoha, even if it perceived him and his troops as villains. That was what he and his Root were. The silent guardians and shadow operatives of the superpower which was the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They would protect the village, even if doing so meant using methods that Sarutobi and his soft minded followers frowned upon.

That was the reason for their existence.

That was Root.

* * *

_**Glossary**_

Shinobi - Ninja

Kumo-nin – Cloud Ninja

Nuke-nin – Missing Ninja

Jonin – High Ninja

Sannin – Three Ninja

Shodai – The First or the Founder

Nidaime – The Second

Sandaime – The Third

Yondaime – The Fourth

Hokage – Fire Shadow

Raikage – Lightning Shadow

Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire

Amegakure – Village Hidden in the Rain

Konohagakure – Village Hidden in the Leaves

Kumogakure – Village Hidden in the Clouds

Jinchuriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice

Nibi no Bakeneko – Two Tailed Monster Cat

Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox

Kekkei Genkei – Bloodline Trait

Doujutsu – Eye Techniques

Sharingan – Pinwheel Eyes

Tsuin Rasengan – Twin Spiralling Sphere

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Katon: Endan – Fire Release: Fire Bullet

Doton: Doryū Taiga – Earth Release: Earth Flow River

Kage Bunshin – Shadow Clone


	4. Chapter 3: One Large Headache

_**Chapter 3**_

_**One Large Headache**_

"_**Kitten, wake up!"**_

She groaned as something was forcing her tired and mentally exhausted mind to reality. The first sign that she was coming too was a continuous, painful pounding in her skull, like someone was using her head as a drum. It was worse than any headache she had ever felt in her life and that included the day after her sixteenth birthday binge drinking session with Kirabi.

"_**Damn it, wake up! They're about too-"**_

Any words her prisoner was about to express was suddenly flushed out of her mind, like someone had closed and locked a soundproof door between her and the Nekomata. She felt her body weaken and, slowly forcing herself awake she felt something flutter against her stomach, below her navel, where the seal that kept the Nibi imprisoned was. Then a hand slammed into her abdomen, not hard, and a voice called out a series of words.

"_Yokuatsu Fūin; Dai Reberu!"_

Her seal began to burn, her skin began to burn. It was like being struck by that overpowered lightning clone again, only ten times worse. She screamed a stifled cry before passing out.

Before the darkness took her she heard a voice, angry "Damn it, I thought you guys put her under!!!"

Slowly Yugito opened her eyes; blinking a few times to remove the gum which threatened to glue shut. She was lying in a comfortable bed, her form covered by white linen. The room was barren, only white walls, the smell of disinfectant, a bedside table with a lamp, no window, probably underground. Looking down Yugito saw that she wasn't in her ANBU attire anymore; instead she was wearing a simple hospital gown, and to her growing horror she found that her hands and legs were secured by leather straps.

Immediately she was alert, trying to gather some chakra into her hands, but nothing came. She tried her legs, nothing. Yugito reached deep within herself, looking for the flaming azure chakra of her partner, only for her mind to hit an invisible barrier, which gave no quarter despite her best mental efforts.

The armoured door at the other end of the room opened with an ominous creak, and the former Kumo-nin found herself at the mercy of whoever walked through that door. Who would it be? This was Konoha, and she was an enemy Shinobi caught in their territory so it would likely be a member of the villages ANBU, the Torture and Interrogation squad. She frowned, trying to remember who the head of this village's interrogation department was. Her blood froze. Morino Ibiki, the man was something of a legend, rumoured to have broken a Raikage candidate in under an hour during their little series of border skirmishes four years ago.

Her thoughts suddenly shifted; the mental image of a smiling eight year old invading her head. She fought an urge to panic. Where was Naruto? Was he alright? If these bastards hurt him Yugito didn't care what kind of seal they placed on her, she would, as her adopted son would say, go wild.

The door opened, and too the recently made Nuke-nin's surprise it was not the towering form of Morino Ibiki, instead it was someone else. He was an old man, maybe in his mid sixties with tanned skin blotched with liver spots, a well kept white goatee and a lit pipe in his mouth. He wore the formal robes of a Kage with the hat nestled on his head. She knew who he was, the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the legendary professor.

Another stepped into the room, and by the unkempt mane of spiked white hair she knew it was the Toad Sage. Two of the most well decorated and powerful Shinobi that the village of Konohagakure no Sato had ever had, and here she was, tied down and defenceless.

Yugito cursed her stupidity, her arrogance. All she wanted was to get Naruto away from Kumo, from Konoha, from anywhere where Shinobi ruled. Her plans were too make a run for the Land of Iron, and disappear into the domains protected by the Samurai, where no Ninja would dare tread and where their identities would remain hidden. It was a fool's gambit, and she berated herself for it.

She looked up to see Jiraiya frown, then turn to Sarutobi "Did you order the restraints?"

Said man took a long puff of his pipe, his look completely serious "No, I did not" he said before turning to two young nurses standing by the door "Who ordered the restraints?"

"It was a message from the palace, Hokage-sama" the taller one piped up, a little worriedly.

Both student and teacher looked to each other in quiet alarm, albeit well hidden. Who in the Hokage tower would know of this woman's existence in the village? "Well, remove them"

The two nurses nodded before hurrying to Yugito's bed, each one removing her legs and arms from the bindings before hurrying back to their positions at the back of the room, and being quickly dismissed by the Hokage. When the door closed again both men were starring intently at her as she rose up to a sitting position, absently rubbing her wrists.

"I'm sure introductions are unnecessary" the Sandaime said, taking a puff of his pipe.

Yugito nodded, but did not give any other reply. Her mind was already going through methods of getting out of this room, finding Naruto and escaping this village before they went on full alert. She needed to find where her charge was, after that everything else would fall into place. Slowly she tried once again to draw chakra, only to come up blank.

"Oh, by the way, and I can't believe we didn't tell you this" the Toad Sage said with a slightly embarrassed grin, hand reaching to scratch the back of his head "For purposes of national security and all we kind of sealed your chakra away, sorry about that"

"You…sealed it?" she asked blankly, the information taking several moments to filter into her tired brain, her eyes widened "YOU SEALED IT!!?"

Jiraiya frowned "Well off course we sealed it. You're a foreign Ninja found and captured in our territory. It's standard procedure"

Yugito starred in complete surprise at the pair, before falling back into bed with a feral feline growl. It was all supposed to be rather simple. Break Naruto out of Sakamoto's ANBU torture department. Get out of Kumogakure. Get out of Kamimari no Kuni. Traverse to Hi no Kuni. Avoid all Shinobi contingents and patrols. Move through Hi no Kuni to Tetsu no Kuni.

In her mind, Yugito Nii had royally fucked up.

Instantly her thoughts went to her training under such circumstances, and that was to say nothing but her name, rank and Shinobi identification number. But she stopped herself. She wasn't a Ninja of Kumogakure no Sato anymore, now she was just a Nuke-nin.

"What were you doing in Hi no Kuni?" it was Jiraiya's voice "And why were you being attacked by your fellow Ninja?"

She sighed, an arm over her face, then the images of a certain eight year old boy once again cut into her memories "Naruto" she gasped, sitting stark upright in bed, only to whimper as her sore body protested the movement "Where is Naruto, is he alright!?"

The two elder Shinobi seemed slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst, though it only took the form of their eyes widening. What got them was not the question. It was the pleading tone in her voice, plus the look of worry in her eyes. Sarutobi took another puff of his pipe before he answered her "He is fine, getting some sleep in one of the empty ANBU rooms"

She seemed to deflate in relief.

The Sandaime saw her reaction, and besides the situation a small smile threatened to form across his aging features "_So you gained a friend, Naruto?" _"From what Naruto has told me he see's you as a mother figure"

A smile crept across her face, a genuine smile "I suppose so. I was only supposed to be his guardian. But the little pup got to me"

"He has a habit of doing that" Hiruzen replied with a chuckle "The kid has a gift" he grabbed a chair, and sat down. His movements mirrored by Jiraiya "I want you to relax. From what my former pupil has told me you were protecting Naruto from a group of Kumo-nin, so you will not be perceived as a threat or a prisoner. I am curious as to why you had Naruto and why you were fighting Kumo-nin in our territory. Can you elaborate for us?"

The Nibi Jinchuriki thought for a moment, before sighing in defeat. She wasn't a Ninja of Kumo anymore, no matter how she tried to delude herself, that and the way the old man talked to her made her feel like she was before her own grandfather, before he died.

"I was fleeing from Kumogakure to protect Naruto" she began, eyes closed and head bowed in submission "A powerful elder was able to overturn the Raikage and place Naruto in a questionable training program to try and control his beast. The council was unhappy about his lack of progress, and were willing to agree to any proposal" her eyes opened, revealing orbs of pure steel "I kidnapped him from the bastard, betrayed my village and my Kage to get him out. I am now a Nuke-nin because of my actions"

The Sandaime nodded "That coincides with our reports from Kumogakure. You were declared a Nuke-nin roughly four days ago, and had a fifty million Ryō bounty placed on your head"

"Four days" she asked, slightly surprised "How long was I out?"

"Five days" Jiraiya answered, ignoring her surprise "Your wounds were quite severe, if you weren't a Jinchuriki then you would have probably died"

She froze, blood running cold at the very mention of that word, or the fact that they knew of her condition. Her being one of the sacrificed was considered an S-class secret in Kumogakure. Only the Raikage, clan heads, Jonin commanders and elders knew of it. In fact the effort that went into keeping her and Kirabi's condition secret was almost fanatical.

When she looked back at the Sannin he just smirked in reply "I have a very good intelligence network"

"The best I hear" was her reply.

"You can relax" Hiruzen cut in lightly "We do not plan on handing either you or Naruto back to Kumo"

She blinked "Then what do you plan to do with us?"

The old man sighed "At the moment nothing. For know both you and Naruto are to be placed in protective custody, only ANBU loyal to me and a few Jonin level Shinobi will be given clearance to your rooms, and you will have a full guard around the clock"

"I want to see him" she said after a moment, and at their looks she reiterated "Just to make sure he's alright"

Once again the old man sighed. He seemed to do that a lot "I'll see to it. For now get some rest. You look a little worse for wear"

With that both Jiraiya and the Hiruzen left the room, leaving a bewildered former Kumo-nin in their wake. As the steel door closed and the pressure locks were activated Jiraiya spoke up "She may not be loyal to Kumo anymore, but I doubt we'll get anything from her"

Sarutobi nodded "Hmm, I agree" he was silent for a handful of seconds "Jiraiya, I'll leave both her and Naruto in your care. The first chance you get take him to her"

"You sure that's a good idea?"

The old man shrugged "She knows we won't let Naruto go again. I think with a little coaxing she will consider joining the village as a Shinobi"

"You plan on recruiting her?" the Sannin asked, before turning thoughtful "True she would be a valuable asset to the village and a possible ace to scare the Uchiha into submission, but she still has ties with her old home, most likely family"

"And her relationship with Naruto" the Sandaime added "After speaking to the two of them there is little doubt in my mind that their relationship is similar to that of a mother and child, or at least that of siblings. Trying to separate them would most likely be an ugly affair"

A Ninja fell from the rafters, landing in a crouch before them, kneeling and awaiting their word "What is it?" Jiraiya asked.

"My apologies for disturbing you Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama" the ANBU replied, reaching into his flak jacket and pulling out a small scroll "But I was ordered to present this to Hokage-sama, another meeting of the council has been called"

Sarutobi frowned as he took the scroll, dismissing the Ninja before opening it. His eyes shot from right to left as he read it, and his frown grew. Jiraiya, seeing his former teacher's annoyance nudged him "What?"

"Danzo has called for another meeting of the council" Sarutobi explained "I must go, I trust you to look after the two"

Jiraiya grinned "Off course"

"And no funny business"

The Sannin actually made a good show of looking offended "Do you honestly think I would take advantage of a helpless female?"

"Yes" the Hokage replied dryly, without hesitation.

"I am offended, nay, insulted that you think as such!"

Sarutobi just frowned, finding that he did that a lot today.

------

The Council of Fire was the designated name given to the ruling committee of Konohagakure no Sato, an assembly made up off the heads of the major Shinobi clans, as well as elder Ninja whose experience and knowledge were in themselves valuable assets. However the Council of Fire was an advisory body. It was the Hokage who made the final decisions. Something that Hiruzen had made a priority since his reinstatement, making sure that while the councils had their say it was he who was in charge.

In truth there were two councils in Konohagakure, the Council of Fire, who presided as the advisors to the Hokage in all Shinobi matters, and a Civilian Council who dealt with the day to day running of the village. The second council was made of merchants and business owners, and was mostly responsible for trade, finance and the running of non-military industries.

They were not the problem. All of their activities were monitored by the ANBU in case of any abuse of power. They were simply there to run the numbers and keep the village running smoothly. The problem was in his advisory council, and as he entered he saw that a heated argument was already underway.

All of the clan heads were present and accounted for. Tsume Inuzuka, head of the infamous Inuzuka clan was snarling like a feral wolf, looking ready to jump over the table and maul her opponent, Danzo. The Sandaime was not surprised. The Inuzuka were one of his strongest supporters. Their pack mentality, born from their close bonds with wolves and dogs, meant that they saw the Hokage as the Alpha male of the _pack_ which was Konoha. In truth he was glad he had the Inuzuka on his side, their clan was considered one of the largest with over three hundred members, two hundred and five of which were Ninja.

If the Inuzuka represented his more zealous followers then the Hyuga were his quiet and calm advisors. The current clan head, Hiashi Hyuga, rose from his seat and asked Tsume to calm down, and Danzo to stop antagonising her. The woman listened, falling into her chair with a huff and a murderous glare.

It was Shikaku Nara, head of the shadow manipulating Nara clan who noticed him, and abruptly stood, bowing his head in respect "Hokage-sama"

All bickering was forgotten as the other clan heads and elders rose from their chairs, mirroring the Nara clan heads motions "Hokage-sama" they said in unison.

The Sandaime nodded as he walked towards his seat, noticing that the Uchiha chair was vacant. The meeting chamber of the clan was deep beneath the surface, within one of the mid levels of the underground ANBU headquarters. It was a darkened chamber of gray stone, a large round table and chairs of marble adorning its centre, the symbol of the Leaf village engraved onto the core of the table. At the backs of each chair were the carved symbols of Konoha's major clans. Both the Namikaze and Uchiha chairs were empty, the Namikaze because of their supposed extinction and the Uchiha because they were boycotting all council meetings.

"I trust there is a reason for bringing us all together, Danzo?" Sarutobi asked, fixing his ex-archrival with a patient stare.

"There is, Hokage-sama" the old man replied in his usual stoic manner "As you know peace talks with the Uchiha have so far ended in failure. It is only a matter of time before they make their move against the village"

Many of the council members frowned, this was common knowledge among the assembly, and they had gathered their clans in preparation for such a conflict if it ever occurred. Sarutobi nodded, taking a puff of his pipe. He knew it better than anyone "This is common knowledge, Danzo, and we are preparing ourselves in case the Uchiha turn hostile"

"Not _if _Sarutobi, the question is _when_" the bandaged councilman replied "From my Root's reports the Uchiha are making secret preparations with the Chunin under their command. We expect them to move within a week, two at the most"

"This would never have happened if you hadn't have crashed the negotiations Danzo" Tsume growled.

"Indeed" Inoichi Yamanaka added in agreement "Your actions and words were reckless"

The former ANBU commander looked at both in turn "The Village Hidden in the Leaves will never give all of our power to a single clan, lest of all a clan who considers themselves superior to everyone else. We are not Iwa. Those were not negotiations they were demands, and I simply made my feelings known"

Silence reined, for as much as they hated to admit it the old warhawk was correct. The negotiations would have never been fruitful. The Uchiha would accept nothing more than full surrender of all other Leaf Shinobi. The rumours of a Sharingan wielder being behind the Kyubi no Yoko's attack was an idea that refused to go away. The clan knew this, and found themselves driven into a corner, and a cornered animal would lash out if provoked.

"Is there more to this than stating the obvious, Danzo?" Hiruzen asked. He also knew of the Uchiha movements, and implemented the suitable countermeasures.

"I propose a pre-emptive strike against the Uchiha clan before they can attack us, and end this insurrection before it even begins" Danzo answered, rising from his chair so that all could see him "I already have agents within their ranks. All that is needed is the word and the hammer will fall"

Murmuring broke out among the council at this statement. A chance to end this war before it even began? The idea was one which many among the clans had wished for. A war with the Uchiha would cost them the lives of their kin. Many mothers, father, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents would die by the Sharingan users hands unless they moved to stop them.

"No" all looked at Sarutobi in surprise, the old man looking unflinchingly into the dark orbs of his rival "I refuse to just give up on the chance of a diplomatic solution not being found. The Sharingan is one of our main advantages against the other villages"

"Sarutobi" Danzo said, warning in his tone "One clan can not be held more important than the entire village. Yes if we lose the Uchiha then we lose one of our bloodlines, but they are not worth the entire village"

"All I am asking for is more time Danzo" Hiruzen replied "Three days, give me three days. If the Uchiha do not capitulate then I will give you permission to go along with this plan"

"_Damn you, Sautobi. We may not have three days" _the aging warhawk thought with a growl, about to say as much before stopping himself. Further attempts to convince his old rival would end with failure. If nothing else Hiruzen was stubborn in his goals once he set his mind to them. With a dramatic sigh he bowed his head in defeat "As you wish, Hokage-sama"

But already a contingency plan was forming in his mind. The agent in the Uchiha ranks was one of Sarutobi's own ANBU, the prodigy of the entire clan, Uchiha Itachi. If he could forge the needed documents and present them to the young ANBU captain then he was certain the kid would act. He had found that Itachi had more loyalty to the village than his family, mostly because of their actions during the last war with Kumo.

Then there was his knowledge of one Uzumaki Naruto, perhaps he could use that to his advantage. Tell Hiruzen that he knew the child was back in Konoha and threaten to bring it before the council, Uchiha included, if he did not yield and order the strike. Danzo knew for a fact how protective the aging Hokage was of the blonde. But the retired ANBU commander quickly dispelled such a notion. The Uchiha would use the knowledge to declare war, to destroy the council and to kill the boy.

When it came down to it there was a choice of either the power of the Kyubi no Yoko, or the Sharingan. Both had the possibility of becoming potent weapons. He would rather have both if he could. Whether the Sandaime liked it or not, if he failed the Uchiha clan would die.

Before he knew it the council had adjourned, all other topics dealt with quickly and precisely. The clan heads slowly began to file out of the chamber, and slowly Danzo rose to his feet, finding Hiruzen still seated in his chair. The old warhawk strolled over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention "A moment of your time, Hiruzen"

The Sandaime frowned, but nodded, waiting until the last of the council left before allowing him to speak "What is it, Danzo?"

"A simple matter of security is all" the retired commander responded "It has come to my attention that you have a Kumo-nin in the medical wing of ANBU headquarters, and a certain child"

It was hard to rattle Hiruzen Sarutobi, but the Root leader could say with a fair degree of smugness that he had done just that. Even if the only visible change was a slight widening of the Professors eyes "I see" was his reply "And what do you plan to do with this information?"

"For now, nothing" Danzo answered "For now we should focus on the threat the Uchiha pose. Imagine what would happen if they gained such information?" It was a bluff, but Hiruzen didn't know that.

"So my suspicions were correct" the Hokage muttered, causing the old warhawk to narrow his eyes "I had a feeling you had someone in my ANBU squads. Only a few knew of the arrival of those two. Jiraiya is immediately out, as are Suki and Mei considering they have not left the boys side since he arrived…Misaki and her medical team are fiercely loyal to me, so that leaves…Yuji"

It was hard to rattle Danzo, but by the sudden widening of his eyes, followed by a dangerous narrowing, the legendary professor had just achieved that "What have you done with my ANBU, Danzo?"

"I have done nothing" the old man replied, sighing in defeat "He is in his apartment, with suppression and capture seals in place to keep him out of trouble"

"I see" Hiruzen replied, before looking to the ceiling "Kakashi"

There was a blur of movement in front of them, and a single ANBU dropped into a kneeling position. Dressed in full ANBU attire with a dog mask covering his face, spiked silver hair, a katana sheathed to his back, full armour and kunai holsters "Hai, Hokage-sama"

"Go to Yuji's apartment and release him from the seals, then take him to the hospital for a full medical"

"Hai, Hokage-sama" the Copy-Nin replied before vanishing in a blur of wind and leaves.

When his chakra signature vanished Sarutobi turned to his old rival "Anything else Danzo?"

"No, Hokage-sama" the bandaged councilman replied through gritted teeth before spinning on his heel and stalking towards the entrance, leaving the Professor alone with his thoughts. If Danzo knew then he would have to step up his security, Suki and Mei were capable, but they were B-rank Ninja. It was time he sent in an elite.

Danzo walked with a purpose through the low lit tunnels of the ANBU headquarters, ignoring his own personal guard who were following him along the rafters above, as silent as the grave. Eventually the dreary tunnels began to brighten, the drab, meters thick concrete walls giving way to timber furnishings and rays of midmorning sun as he ascended to the Hokake Palace, his feet instinctively moving through the well lit corridors to his destination.

Two loyal Chunin guards stood at the door, nodding respectfully as he entered. The room was a small meeting hall, barely two meters by two meters with two large, plush sofas and a mahogany table, a closed window allowing just the right amount of light to enter. In this room, sitting on the sofas, drinking herbal tea and waiting patiently were the other two elders of the council.

They were Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, both former teammates and close friends of Hiruzen. Both, like Hiruzen, were trained by the Nidaime Hokage, and over the years before their retirement they were considered some of the strongest and smartest Ninja. The respect they held with the Shinobi of the village had gained them places of authority as elders.

"You saw" it wasn't a question, Danzo knew that he could never side them permanently against Sarutobi, their friendship went beyond such disputes "The Sandaime wants to bid his time a little while longer, but we all know that such a decision could be our downfall"

Koharu nodded "As much as I hate to admit it. You are right, Danzo"

Homura sighed, taking his glasses off to massage his temple "We will support your mission when the vote comes"

The scarred elder raised a brow "And what of Sarutobi?"

"The village comes first" the elderly woman said firmly "If Hiruzen fails then give the order to strike"

------

Sometimes the advantages of having a homicidal demon sealed within you outweighed the problems, even when said demon was locked away by a seal designed to make Kage level Ninja as weak as newborn kittens. Yugito looked at her arm, once broken, now healed and breathed a sigh of relief. The moment the bones had been reset her healing ability had set to work, and within an hour the fractures forearm had knitted itself back together. It still hurt when she moved it too fast, but it was a definite improvement. The burn marks were nearly gone, with nothing more than a few blemishes which would vanish in another half hour or so, and her cracked ribs had knitted themselves back together before she had woke up.

Her cat-like eyes darted to the side, scanning the large form of her bodyguard. Jiraiya was leaning against the wall, arms folded, head bowed and eyes closed. Trying to look cool or asleep on his feet, Yugito couldn't be sure.

"The Kanji on your headband"

Jiraiya looked up at the woman "Yeah?"

Trying to look cool wins "It stands for oil, doesn't it?"

"Yeah"

Her nose crinkled slightly, it was actually pretty cute "Why would you put _oil_ on your headband?"

The old man chuckled "I'm a sage of the toad's, hot stuff. Haven't you ever heard of toad oil?"

She shook her head, seemingly ignoring the hot stuff part "Never fought against a Toad summoner before, so no"

It was obvious she was bored out of her mind, and just wanted to talk to someone to pass the time. It was the most he had gotten out of her since she woke up "I heard a rumour I want you to ratify for me"

She looked at him, and the Sannin could have sworn that her expression would perfectly suit a curious cat "If it's a matter of village security, then forget it. I'm not comfortable to divulge my homes secrets just yet"

"Fair enough" Jiraiya replied "But the rumour is more about you, Azure Cat. Is it true you can summon cats?"

She smiled at that "Now that would be divulging my clan's secrets, Jiraiya-sama"

He laughed "I guess it would"

"To answer your question" Yugito replied "No I can't summon cats, but I can summon one of their bigger cousins"

"Ho ho" the Sannin hummed, leaning in closer "Well, what is it?" this would be perfect for his research, he already had a character outline of her for his new book, maybe add a few cat ears, a tail and a little familiar.

"Can you keep a secret" she asked, and at his bobbing nod smiled teasingly "So can I"

"Cute" the Sannin replied dryly.

She gave off a Cheshire cats grin, before the latch to the armoured door turned, catching her attention. Jiraiya noticed how her ears seemed to perk up, and guessed she had augmented senses as well. The door opened, and a little blonde bundle blurred into the room, jumping into the air and landing in Yugito's arms. She smiled as she hugged him, glad he was alright more than anything.

Jiraiya blinked, one moment she was a teasing teenager, and now she had the soft look of a caring mother, and he had to admit it was damn sexy. Then he looked down at the blonde, and sighed, he had been driven right into her considerable cleavage by the embrace _"I would kill for that"_

"Are you alright" she asked, and once again the Sannin was amazed by the softness of her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Naruto replied "Stop worrying about me and worry about your self for once. How are your injuries? Are they healing okay? Are they treating you well?"

She smiled a genuine smile "I'll be fine, a couple of days and I'll be right as rain" a teasing smile graced her lips "Are they keeping that bottomless pit full?"

"The hospital food here stinks" Naruto replied with a pout "I'd rather have some of your cooking"

"I'm not that good"

"Yes, you are" the younger blonde replied without hesitation "I said so, Samui-neechan said so, Kirabi-niisan said so…heck, even Raikage-sama says so!"

For a moment he saw sadness in her eyes, but it was just for a moment. It appeared Naruto noticed this too, for he burrowed his face into her chest "It's my fault your hurt"

"Never say that" she admonished lightly, ruffling his spiky hair "I did what I did because I wanted too. Nothing was more important to me than getting you out of that hell"

"But because of me you were forced to leave the village, leave Samui-neesan and the others"

She bopped him on the head, leading to a slight yelp "Don't you dare think this mess was your fault, for it wasn't. It's all on Sakamoto's head, do you understand me?"

The firmness in her voice was surprising, and at his nod she held him close again. Jiraiya shook his head in amusement, for all intents and purposes they really looked like a mother and son, and deep down he was thankful the little brat had found someone to become the mother figure he needed, even if she was barely an adult herself. With a sigh he realised they had forgotten his presence and cleared his throat, stirring the two from their reunion.

"I'm guessing you guys are hungry" he spoke up "And you might need to stretch your legs, so I've been authorised to escort you through ANBU headquarters"

Yugito looked down at the hospital gown she was wearing "And you expect me to wear this?"

The gown truly did not deserve the name clothing, considering its opening at the back, and the lack of undergarments underneath them. Jiraiya had actually hoped for at least a flash of some skin for his novel, but by her look he guessed it would never happen.

"Never fear" the Sannin roared boisterously, pulling out a small storage scroll and, biting off the seal spread it across the floor. Making a couple of hand signs before slamming his hand against the paper. A small explosion followed, and once it cleared she saw a black shirt with dark purple trim, a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of sandals.

Yugito unconsciously whistled, she was no fashion snob but it was pretty good. Then she glared at Jiraiya, who had a look of perverted glee on his face "Do you mind?"

"Not at all" he replied "By all means you may begin anytime"

With a venomous stare she pointed to the door, her eyes refusing to leave his "Out"

"Someone needs to make sure you don't try to escape" he explained, although she could have sworn he was about to froth, damn she had no idea the legendary Jiraiya was such a pervert.

"And how am I going to do that" she asked blandly "That door is the only way in or out"

"Um" she had him there. With a sigh of defeat he turned and left, barely hearing her ask Naruto, considerably more nicely, if she could have some privacy. The blonde nodded before following the Sannin out. With a sigh Yugito got out of bed and quickly undid the cords at the back of her gown, allowing the clothing to pool at her feet.

She put on the jeans first, the trousers were skin tight but otherwise the right size. Next was the shirt, a little baggy but it would suffice. No panties or bra had been left out, so she guessed she was going to go without. Knocking on the door as she finished slipping on the sandals, she was greeted by a wide eyed Naruto and a strangely giddy Jiraiya.

"What?" she asked, hands subconsciously going through the motions of tying her hair into a ponytail. Jiraiya tried not to drool as she held a piece of white cloth in her mouth.

"Nothing at all" the Sannin replied, blushing and trying not to drool, before nudging the blonde "Right brat"

The boy just nodded, quickly yet mechanically, causing the Nibi Jinchuriki to openly glare at the Toad Sages back as he walked down the corridor. She didn't know of the observation room, and its one way viewing mechanism hidden behind the western wall, or the fact that she was officially one of the main characters in Jiraiya's next book.

All he needed to think of was a name…how about Yukiko?

------

Norimasa Sakamoto was considered by many to be one of the smartest individuals in Kumogakure. He was a man who prided himself on his patience and willingness to adapt to any situation or scenario. It was the reason why he was still alive at the age of sixty eight while many of his comrades and rivals had perished on the field of battle.

But Norimasa Sakamoto was also a man who did not like to have his well laid plans derailed from under him, not when he was so close to reaching his target. He had put so much work into gaining a Jinchuriki, bribing, blackmailing and sweet talking clan leaders and elders to vote his way. He had even made sure that the brats conditioning through normal methods be sabotaged, and for what? The Neko-bitch had derailed everything. All his plans turned to ash because she had suddenly grown a conscience.

What was worse was that the Raikage waited until the pursuit team returned before marking her as a Nuke-nin, and the bumbling fools had failed miserably. Despite his subtle attempts to try and gain the councils vote in sending half the Hunter-nin corps into the Land of Fire to look for the renegade and her charge the Raikage had quickly shut it down. Sending half the corps into Hi no Kuni would provoke both Konoha and the armies of the Fire Daimyo into declaring open war, and Kumo was not ready to face the sleeping giant which was Hi no Kuni.

Sakamoto had capitulated after hearing this, calming down and reminding himself that although the loss of both Jinchuriki was a massive blow war with their Leaf rivals would make the blow fatal. He needed to find another way to drag the whore and the little bastard back to Kumo, but how?

Using Kumo Shinobi was immediately out of the question; even those from his own clan would not wish to incur the Raikage's wrath if they failed. Threatening Hi no Kuni would not work either, although the two villages weren't exactly the worst-of-enemies anymore there was still a lot of residual resentment from the skirmishes and the Hyuga incident four years ago.

Then it hit him. There was a way to do this without starting a war, and it was so simple it was almost funny. Hiring independents or Nuke-nin to retake the Kyubi and Nibi was his only option. Even though most clans had joined a Village or Country by now there were still several dozen traveller Ninja clans in existence. He needed to hire a descent group, not some bunch of castoffs who couldn't make the grade.

He quickly found the ideal group, a small unit of Kiri Shinobi who had recently deserted their village because of the recent civil war. He had heard of a couple of them, all either A or B-rank Shinobi renowned as trackers and hunters. Sakamoto had sent out one of his couriers with the contract, along with the promise that they keep the full bounty on the whores head, plus an extra million if they took the boy; both still breathing of course, though he would accept crippled or comatose.

There was only one problem. The leader of this small group wanted a meeting with the employer. Apparently the man was fairly paranoid, and wanted to meet the client face to face rather than rely on information from a middle man. His couriers head was returned in a basket, along with a note on where to meet, a small village on the border in three days time.

Excusing himself from the village was an easy dilemma, and the Raikage seemed pleased that he would be gone for a few days. He took with him a small honour guard of his fellow clansmen, all Jonin level Shinobi, and travelled to the rendezvous point. The rendezvous, Shimane Village was a small fishing settlement located ten kilometres from the border, and right on the beach of the eastern sea. It was quiet and tranquil, with a modest population of a hundred and fifty by the last consensus.

A small, homey bar was the exact spot, and without a word the retired Jonin walked in, flanked by two of his senior clansmen, both able bodied Ninja. All wore simple civilian attire, plain tunics, pants and sandals though each had a kunai holster under their trouser legs. They took a seat, ordered a couple of drinks, and waited. They did not have to wait long.

Four figures entered the bar, all hidden behind worn light gray cowls and cloaks. They saw them and the leader, easily the largest man of the small group, took a seat across from Sakamoto, his three other compatriots, one of which looked like a child, walked over to the bar and took stools, ordering a couple of drinks themselves.

The mans eyes were beady and a dark brown, the lower half of his face covered in bandages, his skin was tanned, which was odd considering that by the climate of Mizu no Kuni the people were usually pale, a large protrusion stuck out of the back of his cloak, most likely a large sword. Not surprising, considering large body sized swords were normal equipment, it was the signature of a Kiri Jonin.

"You know who I am" the man said in a low tone, his voice gritty.

Sakamoto nodded "I expected able bodied Ninja. I did not expect a member of the infamous Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū. The civil war in Kirigakure no Sato must be brutal if even their most powerful warriors are deserting the Mizukage"

"Do you have a point, old man?" the towering Shinobi asked, his voice a growl.

"No, no point" the scientist replied "Simple curiosity is all" He reached into his tunic and pulled out two small photographs, tossing them over to the Kiri-nin and watched as he caught them deftly. The man studied the pictures, and snorted disbelievingly.

"A woman and a kid" he muttered.

"That woman is an S-class Ninja, and the child is of great interest to us" Norimasa explained, but did not go beyond that. The hired dog didn't need to know all the details, even though the dog was more like a wolf.

"Where are they?"

"Our trackers lost them after they entered Hi no Kuni" was the reply "Although the reports are sketchy, we believe them to be somewhere in Konohagakure no Sato"

"You want me and my boys to go into one of the five Great Shinobi Villages, kidnap an S-class Ninja and her charge, and bring them back to you?"

"Forgive me" Norimasa said in a conversational tone "I thought this type of mission was right up the alley for a former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū. Perhaps I was – mistaken?"

His quip got the needed response, and the feral growl from the man was just barely audible "Fine we'll do this mission for you" he looked up, and Sakamoto knew that, even with the bandages, the man was smiling "Fifty one million Ryō isn't going to cut it though, not for such a mission. Double the reward, and you've got a deal"

The retired Kumo commander frowned "I think we're done here" and made to stand.

"It would be such a shame if Konoha were informed that Kumo was planning an infiltration mission right into their heart" the swordsmen replied nonchalantly, causing Sakamoto to stop, stooped over the table "Might make them up their security some"

"You wouldn't dare" the aging elder snarled.

Mirth danced in the Kiri-nins eyes "Oh but I would. See I figure the reason you're hiring me and my boys and not just sending in your own Hunter-nin teams is because you don't want to spark an international incident if you fail. That or the Raikage doesn't know of your little backroom deals" the former swordsmen leaned forward, his breath barely a whisper "Double the price, or we warn Konoha"

Sakamoto snarled, before bowing his head "Very well. Eighty million Ryō for the woman, three million for the boy"

The Kiri-nin nodded, before rising from his chair "Pleasure doing business"

He was stopped by a hand, shooting up with impressive speed to grab his arm. The man turned to come face to face with the Chief Scientist "But know this. If you double-cross me I will send my entire clan out to hunt you down, and not even you, _Demon of the Bloody Mist_ would be able to survive"

Zabuza Momochi snatched his hand away and turned to leave, motioning to his three associates as he went. When they left the head of the Sakamoto clan openly spat at the door "If he survives this I will kill him for such disrespect"

* * *

_**Omake**__**: Unintended**_

Most people would have this little voice in the back of their mind which would tell them right from wrong, and try and steer them in the direction of good. This was called a conscious, and sadly Jiraiya had lost his years ago, either that or it had gone senile.

When the Kumo-nin had forcefully pushed him out of her room so that she could change, most honorable human males would have just waited in silence. Sadly the Toad Sage knew that the room had a viewing cell beside it, and in the name of _research_ he just had to use this golden opportunity.

He walked down the corridor, fishing into his jacket for his trusty notebook and a pencil as he opened the side door and entered the little observation chamber. It was small and dimly lit with a series of tables and viewing chairs. He looked out the viewing window, and froze.

If his jaw were elasticized it would have hit the floor.

Yugito had removed her hospital robe, and by god it was worth coming in for a look. Immediately his pencil hit paper and began moving rapidly, taking in everything he saw with a fluidity born from years of peeping. He had seen few female forms as curvaceous and well endowed as what he saw in those few minutes. Last time was with Tsunade, and he had been beaten to within an inch of his life.

Sadly all good things came to an end, and as she pulled on her shirt and reached down for her sandals he knew he had to leave, quickly. Turning around to make his exit and commit the most perfect peeping session he had ever achieved he found himself stopping dead in his tracks.

He saw a small mess of spiked blonde hair, and taking a dry gulp he looked down to see his other charge, starring at the viewing window in something akin to shock. After a second of trying to wake him up, shaking him and snapping his fingers in front of Naruto's face. The Toad Sage realized the younger blonde was in a catatonic state, and soon Jiraiya would be in a near-death state if the blonde Tsunade lookalike caught wind of this.

Whether it was coincidence or not, the Nibi Jinchuriki and the Slug Princess looked very much alike, probably could pass off as sisters, and the Sage wondered if this woman had even a fraction of his former teammates bone crunching strength.

If she did he was royally screwed.

Naturally he said the only thing he felt was appropriate for the situation "Oh, shit"

* * *

Shinobi – Ninja

Nuke-nin – Missing Nin

Kumo-nin – Cloud Ninja

Kirinin – Mist Ninja

Chunin – Middle Ninja

Tukubetsu Jonin – Special High Ninja

Jonin – High Ninja

Sannin – Three Ninja

Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū – Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist

Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire

Mizu no Kuni – Land of Water

Kaminara no Kuni – Land of Lightning

Tetsu no Kuni – Land of Iron

Konohagakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Leaves

Kumogakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Clouds

Kirigakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Mist

Hokage – Fire Shadow

Raikage – Lightning Shadow

Mizukage – Water Shadow

Sandaime – Third

Jinchuriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice

Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Monster Cat

Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox

Yokuatsu Fūin; Dai Reberu – Suppression Seal: Fifth Level

* * *

_**Naruto and everything to do with it are the property of the author, Masashi Kishimoto, I think that's the guy, but to tell you the truth I couldn't be bothered to look it up.**_

_**Any-who this is mostly a plot chapter, dealing with Yugito's questioning, her reunion with Naruto and the politics of Konohagakure, I think I got the general mood down, but if I'm lacking in any way don't hesitate to say. **_


	5. Chapter 4: A Decision

_**Chapter 4**_

_**A Decision**_

Yugito had no idea how hungry she was until she stepped into the cafeteria, and upon the whiff of cooked food there was a sudden, almost deafening (To her at least) growl from her stomach. She looked around with a slight blush, only to relax when she saw the place was empty besides the kitchen staff, and a few off duty Ninja.

The moment she, Naruto and Jiraiya had chosen a table a plate full of food was placed in front of her. A basic breakfast meal really. A large bowl of white rice, a large slab of grilled fish fillet with side pickles, a bowl of miso soup, some seasoned sheets of seaweed to wrap the fish and rice into and a small bowl of fermented soy beans.

Her eyes lit up like street torches at the fish. A rather strange side effect of having a Nekomata sealed inside you was that the host gained quite a lot of its demons likes and dislikes. Because of this Yugito loved fish at an almost fanatical level. To her fish of almost any kind was considered the holiest creations on the planet. Her speed was blurring, and barely thirty seconds after the food was placed before her all that remained were spotless plates.

Then she asked for another.

Naruto and Jiraiya had been given the same dish, yet by the time they finished their meals the blonde haired Kumo Jonin had finished her third serving. Eating didn't do the performance justice. She inhaled the food. Leaning back in her chair with a content sigh the Nibi Jinchuriki looked a hairsbreadth away from finding a nice quiet place to take a nap (Another Side effect).

She stopped when she saw the look on her young charges face. For some reason he refused to meet her eyes, and this worried her. When he wanted something he had no problem going up to her and asking for it, same when he had a problem he needed advice with. This shy and nervous kid was not the child she had looked after these few years.

"What's the matter" she asked, frowning when he twiddled his thumbs she took on a more firm tone "Naruto, my eyes are here" she had never seen him look so uncomfortable about something in his life, so with a sigh she motioned him closer "If your worried about it just whisper it to me"

For Jiraiya warning bells were going off in his head, as well as a massive sign flashing neon red for 'Get the hell out of there!' Knowing in his subconscious exactly what the boy was about to ask about. If she pushed him for why then he would see first hand if his speculation about her strength being on par with another certain blonde female was right.

Slowly he rose from his chair, sighing in relief when he saw her full attention was on Naruto as he whispered something into her ear, and she replied in a hushed tone while taking a sip of her milk. He edged closer to the door, ignoring the questioning looks the assigned ANBU guards were giving him.

"Ah mom" Naruto said "I saw something I think I shouldn't have seen"

"Such as?" she asked with a raised brow

"Well when you went to get changed the big guy went into a room next door" he explained a little sheepishly, hand scratching the back of his head "I was bored, so I followed him and…"

"And" she motioned him to continue, taking another sip of her milk.

"It was one of those viewing rooms" he explained, seeing her form suddenly go stiff "You know like the ones connected to those questioning rooms"

It took a second for the information to filter to her brain, and when it did she spat out her milk, catching the attention of everyone else in the room. Looking over to him, white liquid dribbling from the corners of her mouth, she asked the dreaded question "What was he observing?"

Now her charge really looked uncomfortable "Naruto" she asked, her tone forcing him to stare into suddenly merciless brown orbs "What – was – he – observing?"

"Um" the child replied, almost looking like he wanted to run "You"

Jiraiya had managed to sneak his way to the door when he felt a sudden, merciless stab of killing intent so utterly deadly it would have probably killed any plants in the immediate vicinity. There was only one other time he had felt intent so potent, and that was when Tsunade had caught him peeping on her in the public bath, and she had nearly killed him.

Slowly he turned to see the Kumo-nin. He could have sworn her eyes had taken a sudden cerulean glow, and she was cracking her knuckles in a very threatening manner.

"_You!"_ it was more of a feline snarl than a voice.

Jiraiya backed up, laughing nervously "Look, I had no idea the brat was in the room…I swear!"

"And that makes it alright" she asked indignantly. He heard a snap, and looked at the chopsticks in her hands. What had him worried was that the chopsticks she had snapped like twigs with her fingers were made of stainless steel.

"If it makes you feel any better you have a steaming hot figure" he said with a nervous laugh.

What followed was a sudden maniacal look in her eyes, followed by a growl…and a lunge. The ANBU made no move to stop her, in fact by how they backed away it was the last thing they wanted to do. For Mei and Suki however they were looking on with interest. Maybe she could finally beat some sense into the pervert.

Jiraiya, Densetsu no Sannin, legendary Toad Sage, student to the Sandaime and sensei to the Yondaime ran out the door screaming like a little girl, an irate blonde right on his heels, using the snapped chopsticks as senbon needles.

It was another ten minutes before Yugito returned, taking a deep cleansing breath as she walked past the starring ANBU to Naruto. She leaned forward, draping an arm over his shoulder and gently pushing him back towards the table. She couldn't erase the memory from the child, but the next best thing she could do is steer him away from becoming another Jiraiya.

With a sigh she looked up to her ANBU guards and reaching into her pocket threw a small notebook at them. The woman with the wolf mask, Mei, instinctively caught the book "Do you know fire Jutsu?"

The woman hesitated, before a small smile formed under the mask "Burn it?"

Yugito smiled back "Burn it"

* * *

Naka Shrine was one of many clan shrines located around Konoha, stone steps led up to a Torii gate, the symbol of the Uchiha enshrined on the gateway, and a stone path leading to a large Honden shrine, a giant ornate building made of pine. To the citizens of Konoha, and anyone outside of the Uchiha clan the shrine was a simple place of worship for the founding clan.

However the shrine was designed for another purpose. In the main hall, hidden by the seventh tatami mat from the far right was a secret entrance. Leading to a spiral staircase of stone steps, which in turn led to a secret room, within this room it was dark, the only light coming from scented candles. The symbols of the Uchiha clan were imprinted on the walls, and at the far end of the small chamber was a stone tablet, pertaining to the most ancient history and secrets of the clan.

In this room, seated cross-legged on plush cushions were five men, dressed in crimson and white robes, their skin crinkled and weathered by age, their eyes hardened by the times they had lived. These five men represented the oldest and supposedly wisest of the Uchiha. They were the advisors to the clan head, each one a former Shinobi who had unlocked the Sharingan eye.

Fugaku Uchiha knew this. The current head of the Uchiha clan knew that these men and their experience were invaluable, and all were in agreement. The time when the Uchiha stayed on the sidelines was over. They were the last surviving founding clan of this village. The Senju was all but extinct. Their last survivor was off in some gambling hut throwing her money away. They should have more say in how this village is run.

Sometimes Fugaku Uchiha wondered how it had gotten this bad. Then he remembered, and the memory filled him with rage. The Kyubi no Yoko, in one night a single demon laid waist to the Shinobi forces of the Hidden Leaf. Many had died so that the Yondaime could seal it away, including several members of the Uchiha clan.

He had spearheaded the campaign to kill the monster once and for all, by mercifully putting down the child chosen to house the beast. He had felt pity for the boy, but he needed to remind himself that there was no boy. The child died the moment the demon was sealed. It needed to be done. But the Sandaime Hokage, forced out of retirement, had put a stop to everything. He had shot down his attempt and put laws in place to protect the child, to protect _it_.

What was worse were the rumours that suddenly started not long after the attack. Rumours that the Uchiha themselves had lead the beast to their doorstep, that they were somehow behind the attack. These stories were false, but that didn't stop the village from relocating his clan to a corner of the village where they could be easily monitored. To the clan elders this was a sign that the warning spoken of by their founder, the long deceased Madara Uchiha, was beginning to come to fruition.

Enough was enough. The Uchiha would not be watched like a pack of rabid dogs. It was time for the Sharingan wielders to fight back, to retake this village from the lesser clans, but somehow the Council of Fire, and the Hokage, had caught wind of their plans. This infuriated Fugaku, and made all chances of a bloodless coup d'état impossible.

But how could they have known? He and the elders had ordered that it strictly be kept secret. Even within the clan only those who held the rank of Clan Elder or Shinobi knew of the attempt, their civilian members knew nothing. He had even kept it a secret from his wife. Even though Mikoto was a Jonin herself before she retired she was not what the elders called a true Uchiha, having married into the clan.

It was Hideki Uchiha, one of the eldest in attendance who spoke "Tell me Fugaku-sama, what are the results of your investigation, have you found the informant yet?"

"Not as such Hideki-san" the head replied "The investigation is still ongoing, whoever the informer is he has hidden his tracks very well"

"This is most troubling" Kazuko Uchiha spoke, his voice raspy and ancient "To think one of our own would willingly betray us"

"As troubling as it is Kazuko-san the fact that the Hokage and the Council have caught wind of our plans is proof enough that one of our own has become a spy" Osamu Uchiha said sternly, the fifty year old man massaging his trimmed dark gray moustache.

"What about the Chunin" Hideki said, looking to Fugaku "Could one of them not be as loyal as you let on?"

"The Chunin know next to nothing about the coup" the clan head replied calmly "Nothing other than that if we did instigate one we would have their support"

"Bah" Osamu growled "Most of these Chunin are low class, not from any prestigious clans, how can we trust such commoners at their words?"

There was a buzz of agreement all around.

"What about your son Fugaku-sama" Yuuma Uchiha asked "You've placed him in ANBU as a spy. What information has he gained?"

"Very little" Fugaku replied "Other than the Sandaime is more interested in trying to negotiate a settlement instead of fighting us openly"

A smirk appeared on Hideki's face "Heh, Hiruzen is getting senile in his old age. The fool is becoming a pacifist, believing that everything can be settled through discussion"

"Hiruzen is many things" Kazuko spoke up "But a fool is not one of them. He hates bloodshed yes, but to him the village is worth more than any individual clan. If we push him too hard then he will push back"

"Hiruzen is not so much the problem as Danzo" Yuuma growled "That one armed mummy has gone to a lot of trouble to spit in our faces. It's almost like he is daring us to make the first move"

"Do you fear that cripple Yuuma-san" the last elder, Minoru Uchiha spoke up at last, remaining quiet during most of the meeting "Do you fear him and his half trained Root?"

"It is foolish and stupid to not take a threat like Danzo seriously" Yuuma replied "And you underestimate his Root Minoru-san. They may not be a match for a well trained Jonin one-on-one, but they're not supposed to be. Root operatives are trained as assassins and spies. They strike from the shadows and melt back into the darkness once their task is complete. They fear nothing, not even death"

"Enough" Fugaku growled, smacking the table with his fist "Look at you all, you are acting like a bunch of scared rabbits! Is this really the mighty council of the Uchiha clan!?"

As one the five elders bowed "We apologise Fugaku-sama" Hideki intoned "However our chances of victory are slim. I propose we back away for now, and wait for another opportunity to strike"

Murmurings rose up among the elders, silenced by Fugaku's raised hand "Wait for our enemies to drop their guard, then strike for their exposed neck. Very well, I agree"

* * *

Sarutobi glowered over his desk at the scene, hands stapled together and generally trying to look threatening. At the far end of the room was Jiraiya, trying to look cool and in control when in fact he was sporting a black eye, his clothes riddled with several small holes from near misses.

"So" the old man began calmly, shooting a sorely disappointed look Jiraiya's way "Please explain this all to me. He peeped on you while you were changing…and when you were informed of his, ahem, activities you chased him through the halls of ANBU headquarters, utilising chopsticks as weapons" _With the seal still firmly in place to boot._

Yugito nodded, throwing a murderous glare the Sannin's way which promised pain and possible decapitation if he did it again. The Gama-sennin actually physically flinched under her gaze.

"And what were the ANBU doing during all of this?" Hiruzen asked.

"Yeah where were you guys" the Sannin exclaimed "She could have killed me!"

Suki and Mei looked at each other for a moment, before shrugging "We thought the great and _gallant_ Jiraiya-sama was more than capable of dealing with a Shinobi who had her chakra suppressed"

The Sannin shot them a hurt look, but any further talk was silenced by the Sandaime clearing his throat "Yugito-san" he said, gaining her attention "I take it you called me for more than to complain about my students questionable…activities"

"Yes, Hokage-sama" she replied, before looking down to the floor for a moment, her eyes uncertain, battling an internal battle of emotions "I would like to request asylum for Naruto and me"

She had been thinking about this the entire night, and as much as she wanted to take Naruto and run Yugito knew that was impossible. The next best option was to seek sanctuary in another village, preferably another one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. It was common knowledge that once a Ninja became a member of a village they were protected by the village and no where else was more zealous in this belief than Konohagakure. Yugito was also no fool. They knew who Naruto was, and they would never willingly allow her to leave with him.

The Hokage took a puff of his pipe, as if in deep thought, before opening the drawer to his desk "There are certain procedures that need to be followed when a Shinobi considered a Nuke-nin wishes to enter our village" he placed the hatai-ite of the leaf on the desk, the metal, adorned with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf, polished to a shine "First you will need to adhere to a mind examination by a Yamanaka to make sure your wish is genuine. Second you will be put through a series of tests to assess your skill level; these exams will test your knowledge of Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu, weapons knowledge and battle tactics. The second is a prohibition period of no less than three months to test if you are truly sincere in your wish, you will be guarded by a select group of my ANBU operatives during this time"

"It may be best to put a cover story in place about her origins Hokage-sama" Jiraiya spoke up, his tone deadly serious once again.

"Mm" Hiruzen nodded in agreement.

"What do you plan to do with Naruto?" she asked suddenly.

"For now I will allow him to remain with you" Hiruzen replied "I have a feeling a stipulation of you staying is that the two of you are not separated?"

She nodded.

"But that leaves us with a dilemma" the Sandime took another puff "As to where the two of you are to stay until you can afford a place of your own"

"They can stay in one of my apartments" everyone turned to look at Jiraiya, who smirked "The one in the Shinobi district should do I think. Two bedroom, open floor living room and kitchen, a single fully stocked bathroom and a decent view"

The young woman raised an eyebrow suspiciously "What's the catch?"

"I just want to make sure my godson is looked after"

"Jiraiya" Hiruzen spoke up warningly.

The Sannin frowned at him "She's going to be his guardian, so she might as well know a few things" he stared the woman in the eyes, unflinching "Naruto is my godson, chosen by both his father and mother"

It took a while for the information to sink in, but when it did Yugito starred venomously at him, wondering where this man was all of Naruto's young life "So where were you!?" she asked harshly "When I found him he was sitting on a swing, drenched by the storm and shivering while the orphanage workers locked him out. If he didn't have his prisoner he would have died of pneumonia!"

"You were there" Jiraiya asked incredulously, all in the room knew what he was talking about.

"I was one of the ambassador's guards" she replied, knowing that if she wanted these peoples trust she needed to tell them everything.

Sarutobi sighed "The Hyuga are going to love this if they ever found out"

"And you were okay with trying to kidnap a four year old girl?"

"I didn't attempt to kidnap her" Yugito shot back "We were ordered to remain at the hotel. The guards weren't told the true purpose of the peace talks until the day before. We were told what would happen and were to leave if the attempt failed, that was it" she starred at him "You're changing the topic! Where the hell were you when he needed you!?"

Both men looked at each other, even the ANBU looked uncertain. In her mind the Nibi Jinchuriki knew they would be asking questions about her involvement later, but now there were other issues that needed to be sorted, pressing issues that in her mind were more important than a four year old village feud.

This time it was Jiraiya's turn to growl "I spent the entirety of his first four years trying to protect him. Do you know how many kidnap and assassination attempts were made against the boy in that time? I personally foiled nine kidnap and fifteen assassination attempts, not to mention the fifty others that were never implemented because of my spy network!"

"He needed more than protecting" she all but shouted in agitation "He needed someone to be there for him. Do you have any idea what it's like to grow up all alone, to have no one there to look out for you or be there when you got home" she knew from personal experience, she had lost her mother and father when she was young, and most of her family soon after. It was only her and her younger sister "He needed more than a silent protector from the shadows! He needed a father-figure, someone to tuck him in at night, someone to sooth him when he was scared, someone to worry about him when he didn't come home!"

She knew this from experience. Damn did the cub do a number on her stress levels during their first year together? He used to be plagued by terrible nightmares, terrified that people hated him when someone looked at him funny, and that was just his emotional baggage. His manners and personal hygiene were atrocious. To put it bluntly he had been a mess, a well hidden one, but a mess.

Jiraiya sighed, his tension leaving his muscles "I know" his response surprised her; she was expecting a retort "I know I wasn't there when the kid needed me. But I will be making up for it starting now, by giving you that apartment" he smiled sadly at her "I didn't do the job right, and his parents would have been ashamed of me. His mother would have beaten me to a bloody pulp and his father would have probably killed me. But he has a sister-figure in you. You were there when he needed you, and for that I am grateful"

She was dumbstruck by such a display, her opinions of this man suddenly taking a u-turn. Suddenly a thought hit her "You knew his parents?"

"Yes" he replied, ignoring the Hokage's threatening glare.

"Who were they?"

"Unfortunately I can't tell you that, at least not until I know I can trust you" the Sannin replied "I can tell you that while they were alive they made a lot of enemies outside of the village. Enemies who would have no qualms about killing their son for a twisted sense of revenge"

She nodded and after a moment of silence, bowed her head "Are you sure it's okay to just give me the apartment?"

He smiled sheepishly "I haven't been in there for the better part of a decade, besides I have another two apartments and a house in this village" he reached into his pocket and tossed her a set of keys "It's all yours"

"Now we definitely need a cover story for you and Naruto" Hiruzen said after a moment, frowning that the Sannin let slip that he was the boys godfather but glad he kept tight lipped about everything else. They would talk about it later "If the Hyuga found out the situation could get messy"

"There is a civil war going on in Mizu no Kuni at the moment" Jiraiya thought out loud "And quite a few refugees are fleeing the country" a broad grin emerged "I got it. You and your little brother are refugees from Mizu no Kuni. You were originally a Shinobi of Kirigakure, but your clan was betrayed by the Mizukage. With no other options you took your little brother and fled to Hi no Kuni!"

The room was silent, and then the Hokage spoke "If one didn't know any better one would think you were a talented author"

The middle aged man looked pointedly at his former sensei "What you mean old man? I am an author!"

The Sandaime shook his head, before setting his eyes on Yugito once again "I will send for a Yamanaka immediately to take care of the mind examination, and if he is satisfied then I will have Jiraiya remove your seal. Once that is done you are to report to training area twelve at 9am tomorrow morning, I will send one of my ANBU to put you through the tests. When that is over return here with Naruto in the afternoon so that we can enrol him in the academy"

Yugito nodded her affirmative "If it eases your concerns I will volunteer for the mind examination"

"Excellent" the old man smiled, before sounding the buzzer at the end of his desk, a few seconds passed before his secretary, a female Chunin, peeped her head through the door.

"You called, Hokage-sama?"

"Is Inoichi-san in the waiting room?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama" she replied with a nod.

"Thank you Nemu-chan" he said with a smile "Has your uncle been waiting long?"

Nemu Yamanaka shook her head "No, Hokage-sama. Only for about five minutes or so"

"Hmm" the Hokage hummed "Let him in, and close the doors. Don't let anyone else enter until I say otherwise"

She nodded and left for the waiting room, a few moments later she reappeared with another individual. A man in his middle years, his skin, although rugged by age was not wrinkled, his eyes a dark blue, hair a dark blonde done up in a long ponytail. He wore the Jonin attire. Black trousers and jacket, a Jonin vest, and over it a sleeveless maroon long coat, the headband of the leaf tied to his forehead.

"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama" he greeted with a respectful bow before setting his gaze upon Yugito, who met it unflinchingly.

"Inoichi-san, thank you for coming" Hiruzen returned with a smile "Yugito this is Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka clan. Inoichi this is Yugito Nii"

Yugito knew of the Yamanaka clan, of all the clans of Konoha they were one of the newest to have joined, becoming a major clan of the village just before the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War. Their numbers were medium, around eighty to a hundred strong, and those of them who became Ninja excelled as experts of mind reading and control Jutsu, to this day the head scientists of Kumo did not know whether the Yamanaka were just skilled in the field of interrogation, or had a Kekkei Genkei.

The Yamanaka hesitated for a moment before offering her his hand "Nice to meet you"

"You too" Yugito replied, accepting his offered hand.

"Yugito is formerly a member of Kumogakure. The former caretaker of Naruto Uzumaki" the Sandaime explained, knowing full well it was best to inform him now rather than him stumbling upon it later. Inoichi's eyes widened slightly at this, but he remained silent, allowing the Hokage to continue "She fled with Naruto from Kumogakure after a certain series of events, and wishes to join our village so as to protect him" he looked Inoichi in the eye "What I told you and am about to tell you will be an S-class secret, do you understand?"

Inoichi nodded.

"I want you to scan her mind to see if what she says is genuine, though I have little doubt that it is" he explained "Also I must warn you she herself is a Jinchuriki to a Biju, and although it is one of weakest I advise you not to probe to deeply"

"I will keep it at bay, Hokage-sama" Yugito spoke up, ignoring the Yamanaka clan heads fearful look "I have nothing to hide"

"Are you sure you can suppress it?"

"Although I do not have full control over _her_ I can tell you that of all the Biju the Nekomata is the most docile. She will not lash out unless she feels threatened, or if I ask her to" Yugito said with a smile, before looking thoughtful for a moment, folding her arms under her bust and tapping a finger against her chin "She's actually really lazy"

"As well as this I would like for you to probe her memories of four years ago" Sarutobi added, casting a look the former Kumo-nins way "She was one of the High Ninja's guardsmen during the Hyuga incident and I want to know if she had anything to do with the kidnap attempt"

"Hai, Hokage-sama" Inoichi replied with a bow, casting a suspicious look Yugito's way.

Sarutobi looked to the elder blonde for confirmation, who shrugged "I will cooperate"

The Sandaime looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding and motioning to a chair "Take a seat. Let's get this over with"

The woman nodded before doing as asked. As Inocihi loomed over her she began to fidget "So what am I supposed to do?"

Besides the situation the head of the Yamanaka clan smiled nervously, not used to doing a voluntary mind examination "Sit up straight, close your eyes, take a deep breath and relax"

She nodded and did as asked. _If you can hear me Nibi, allow this man to probe my mind._

Yugito could have sworn she heard a purr of agreement before the elder Yamanaka placed his right hand over her forehead. Then everything was still and silent. A pin drop could have been heard. Then she felt it, a slight discomfort, like feint wisps of shadow were seeping through her skull into her mind. Involuntarily Yugito shivered, the tendrils felt so cold.

Inoichi tried to keep his ministrations as light as possible, his mind ghosting over the Kumo-nins memories with as much care as he could muster. He saw images of her childhood, the training she went through, her time as a Shinobi. He did not linger on these and carefully nudged them aside so he could delve further and gain the information he needed.

He stood in a street, one he recognised as the main road of Konoha. A celebration was taking place, people crowded on the sidewalks in the hundreds as a procession of carriages and wagons slowly moved passed. He saw the High Ninja and all of his guards, including a certain sixteen year old girl flanking him on his left side.

He fast-forwarded the memories to the hotel they were staying in and stopped. All six of the guardians had been assembled, and the ambassador was explaining the kidnap attempt to them. He was surprised when he felt her emotions of shock and disbelief at the news, even more surprised when she abruptly stood and excused herself, saying she needed a breath of fresh air.

He watched as she walked through the city streets, her mind a violent mixture of emotions and doubts. The teenager did not like the plan. This war had taken a lot from her. She had lost her grandfather, uncle and aunt, her last living relatives besides her sister, to the border skirmishes. Yugito did not hate Konoha for this; she just wanted the war to end.

It was then that a little boy rushed around the corner and bumped into her. She had been taken by surprise, and immediately turned to yell at the child, but upon seeing his eyes, reddened by tears, she hesitated. An old man came around the corner then, holding a cane threateningly, but by then she had already knelt beside the child.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

Inoichi watched as she comforted the boy. _So that was how they met. _In truth the clan head was appalled by how the orphanage employees ignored this deranged old man as he threatened the child. Like the rest of the council the Yamanaka had known of what the boy held prisoner, yet unlike Fugaku he did not hate him for it. It's not like it was Naruto's fault that he was born on the same day as the Kyubi attack.

He sifted through a few more memories, and came to the conclusion that although she was there she did not have knowledge of the Hyuga abduction until a few hours before the fact, and she did not partake in the attempt. She did kidnap Naruto, but she thought she was giving him a better life while doing so. It could be forgiven.

His first task done the Yamanaka moved forward to the newer, fresher memories of the last few weeks, checking through them several times over to make sure Yugito was giving him the correct information. The memories swarmed across his vision.

------

"_At his rate of progress he may never fully master the nine tails of his transformation. The Kyubi's chakra is just too vast and potent that its consciousness would encompass and take over his host. He would become more of a danger to the village than as its protector" the scientist suddenly shut his report, his eyes partially hidden behind his round glasses "Unless"_

_He let the word hang in the air, not caring to reiterate further. The Raikage tapped his finger against the surface of his desk in impatience, before sighing "Unless what?"_

"_Unless we put him through the full conditioning"_

_Yugito growled at this, the full conditioning, more like torture. The subject would be conditioned both mentally and physically to become a weapon. She didn't know the details but what she did know was that the practice was cruel and inhumane in every sense of the words. When the training was complete the subject would lose all emotion, he would basically become a hollow shell of what he once was, the perfect killer._

_The Raikage growled at the scientist for a moment "If we did that the boy would be nothing more than a shell of what he is now. No emotions, no individual thought, he would be stripped of all that makes him who he is. Such barbarism has been outlawed"_

"_It is regrettable" the scientist replied, his almond eyes gleaming with a sick joy behind his glasses "But necessary, I will be putting this forward in the council meeting later today. But your agreement would make this much faster"_

"_I refuse" E replied without hesitation, fixing the scientist with a glare which would have melted steel, lips twisted in a sneer of disgust "And I will fight this motion of yours with tooth and nail. There is a reason why I banned all forms of that training, and I doubt you will gain enough support on the council to overrule me"_

_A smile adorned the old mans face "Off course Raikage-sama, but I will still put my recommendations forward when the council meeting begins"_

"_You are welcome to do so, Sakamoto" the Raikage said tightly "And my opinion will remain the same, now leave me"_

------

"_Nii Yugito, by order of the Council of lightning you are hereby relieved as guardian to the Kyubi host, Uzumaki Naruto" he spoke in a deep voice which left no room for argument, before trying to push past her._

"_On whose authority?" she asked, unmoving._

_The ANBU frowned "By authority of the council of lightning"_

"_I answer only to the Raikage" she replied coldly "As do you"_

"_You think I enjoy being their lapdog, Captain?" the man spat in annoyance "If I had my way I would tell them to shove this order up their asses, but I can't! Now stand aside!!!"_

"_Not a chance" she said, standing doggedly in place, ready to use her position as a captain in the ANBU corps to her advantage "I'm your superior boy, and I think I deserve to at least take him there myself instead of allowing him to be lead off by a bunch of complete strangers!"_

_The ANBU looked to his associate "Sakamoto isn't going to like this"_

_Yugito's growl was feral, making the two elites flinch "Either you go against Sakamoto with these jokes for orders and get lightly reprimanded, or you go against me and get a broken nose and a demotion. Your call boy"_

_The ANBU hesitated for a moment, before his face fell "You have one hour to report him to headquarters to begin his training"_

"_We'll be there" she snarled before slamming the door shut in their faces with a resounding thwack._

------

_As the lift continued to descend she came down to a knee so that she was face to face with him, removing her mask and attaching it to her belt before she starred into his brilliant sapphire eyes "You have everything right?"_

_He nodded._

"_Don't let him push you around Naruto, don't let him do anything you don't like nor want. You got me?"_

_He nodded again._

_She was about to speak, then stopped, tried again and failed again. Finally her face fell, a sad smile tugging at her lips "Look at me, the child I care for like a son is about to go into the lions den and I don't know what to say"_

_She felt her eyes glisten, but stubbornly refused to let them fall. The old persona as the Ice Cat coming into play for a moment, tightly she shut her eyes and willed for the tears to stop. A hand was on her shoulder, startling her. She glanced up and saw him look at her with a genuine smile._

"_I know you're not my real mom" he said "But you've been more of a mother to me than anyone else ever has. I was all alone in Konoha. I was hated, feared and people even tried to kill me. You took me away from that. You gave me a home, a family, people who cared about me. You gave my life meaning" he seemed conflicted, scared and uncertain as he spoke the next few words "I know this seems selfish, but can I still call you mom. You know, if we ever met again?"_

_The tears flowed, and without a moments hesitation she put her arms around him and dragged him into an embrace, shutting her eyes tightly as she cried "Yes, I would like that Naruto. I would like that so much"_

_------_

"_You're going, aren't you?" she stopped, but did not turn around "I love Naruto too, but think about it. He wouldn't want you to do this!"_

"_How else am I going to get him out of there" Yugito asked, turning her head for a side glance at her younger sister._

"_Yugito Oneechan" Samui whispered pleadingly "If you do this then you will be labelled as a missing-nin, E-sama will not be able to defend you. You'll play right into that bastards hands and you'll be in that cell beside Naruto. Do you think he would want that!?"_

"_I won't let him become a monster" the elder said, reaching into her vest and pulling out a small scroll from one of her abdomen satchels. She walked to her little sister and handed it to her "Give this to the Raikage when this is all said and done, it will expunge you and Kirabi from any wrongdoing"_

_Samui hugged herself, looking at her elder sister pleadingly "Sis, please don't"_

_She smiled behind her mask "Goodbye Samui"_

_Before her sister could try to stop her Yugito moved. her attack was a blur, her hand chopping the nerves on her sister's neck. Samui's eyes bulged before closing. She fell into her sister's arms, carrying her into her apartment and setting her on her living room couch. She turned to leave, but stopped at the door. _

_Looking back at her little sister one last time she closed her apartment door and vanished in a flash._

"_Sorry"_

------

_She ran across the rooftops, Naruto slung to her back. The boy was unconscious and sickly pale, obviously been put through extensive sessions of his 'training'. She gritted her teeth at the word. Was this what could have happened to her and Killer Bee?_

_Finally she reached the last building, seeing the huge vertical structure of the outer defensive wall of her village stretch up to the heavens. She stopped, feeling a sense of déjà vu. This reminded her so much of four years ago when she was scaling the walls of Konohagakure with this child on her back. Now she was doing the same thing again, only this time it was in her home village. Concentrating chakra into the soles of her feet she jumped, landing on the wall and effortlessly running up the vertical structure. She reached the top, seeing an empty corridor which would have been filled with long range specialists during a siege or a time of war. _

_She looked back upon her home, her eyes, hidden behind her mask, confining every contour of the rocky structures to memory. Suddenly a voice resounded from the darkness "Going somewhere, Yugito?"_

_She turned, and her heart literally jumped up to her throat. There stood the Rakage, fully dressed in his robes of office, looking upon her with eyes as hard as diamonds. She was no match for him, no matter the situation. But something changed. He looked upon her, diamond hard eyes softening before stepping aside._

_She hesitated, thinking for a moment that it was a trick. Then she walked across the corridor between the village and the outside world. She gave the Raikage one last glance. He stood with his head bowed, eyes closed as if in penance._

"_In six hours" he spoke, his voice saddened "I won't be able to keep it a secret much longer. I will be forced to list you as a Nuke-nin, and send a Hunter team after you" he looked into her eyes, conflicted as to what to say next, then he closed his eyes and bowed his head again "Go"_

_She hopped up to the battlements, looking down at the seemingly bottomless abyss in front of her, but something in her stopped. She turned, locking eyes with the Raikage. _

"_Sorry" she whispered, before she leaned back and fell from the battlements._

_------_

Inoichi broke the meld, removing his hand from the girl's forehead before turning to the Hokage "She is telling the truth on both accounts Hokage-sama. In my opinion she is not a threat to the village"

Hiruzen nodded "Thank you Inoichi, stay a moment" he then turned to Yugito and smiled softly "Thank you for your cooperation, I know that would have been difficult"

She nodded, a hand on her head in a vein attempt to stop the drum pounding against her skull. Although the Yamanaka had tried to be careful the presence of a foreign entity was still a stressful encounter.

"Jiraiya will remove the seal and show you to your new apartment, until I gather a trustworthy team of ANBU he will continue to be your protector" Sarutobi explained, sending a pointed look at the Sannin, only to find him nodding in agreement "Get a good nights sleep and prepare for the examination tomorrow"

Yugito nodded, rising from her chair and bowing respectfully to the Hokage before turning to leave, the old sagely voice of Hiruzen reaching her before she made it to the door "Oh and if your examiner is a little late don't hold it against him!"

She turned to him with a frown "How long is a little?"

* * *

_**Omake: Bath Time**_

A sixteen year old Yugito squared off in a starring contest with a four year old Naruto, both starring into each others eyes, not missing a beat. Suddenly Yugito moved, pointing her finger to a sliding door at the other end of their little two bedroom apartment.

A single word escaped her "Bath"

A single word escaped him "Nope"

They had been living together for three months, and in those three months Yugito came to a conclusion. Naruto had not had a single bath since he arrived, and she could not let this continue. This was mainly because of the smell, and also because, thanks to the Nekomata her sense of smell was a hundred times greater than a regular human. Because of this Yugito Nii felt like she was in a trash dump in the hottest day of summer, and she didn't like it.

This was infuriating; she was bigger, stronger, smarter and prettier than him. Why could she not convince him to take a bath and end her misery "Bath Now?"

He folded his arms in his usual 'stubborn as a mule' stance, and shook his head "I take the 1st amendment!"

"This is not a democracy!" she yelled.

"Well it should be" he shot back.

"Do you even know what democracy means!?"

"Does it matter" he replied.

She heard a giggle and turned a pointed glare at her twelve year old younger sister, watching the whole encounter from the safety of the living rooms main couch "A little help here"

Samui shook her head "Leave me out of this"

She sighed, massaging her forehead with her free hand "Be reasonable, you haven't taken a bath in three months, maybe longer, and my sense of smell is very strong. Please just take a bath and end this nightmare!"

He grinned "Make me"

A demonic smile spread across her lips, and in a quick motion she pounced "With pleasure!"

Three minutes and a lot of struggling later a dishevelled Yugito stood at the precipice between living room and bathroom, and in typical behaviour inherited from her symbiotic Yugito dangled the younger blonde, still fully clothed, over the bath tub.

Like most boys his age Naruto didn't like to take baths. That is until they were in the bath, then they never wanted to get out. Samui looked on as the boy was busy squirming and screaming at the top of his lungs for help, held by the collar of his shirt in the blonde woman's mouth. Just like a mother cat would do to her kittens when she wanted to move them from one place to another.

She smiled and with a slight movement of her jaw released the boy, allowing him to fall into the fully drawn bath of warm soapy water. There was a scream, stifled by a splash. Then Naruto resurfaced, soaked to the bone, coughing and sputtering before setting an angry glare at his guardian.

"Bad kitty" he yelled.

"Bad kitten" Yugito countered, ignoring the barks of laughter coming from the next room.

* * *

Glossary

Shinobi – Ninja

Nuke-nin – Missing Ninja

Kumo-nin – Cloud Ninja

Jonin – High Ninja

Densetsu no Sannin – Legendary Three Ninja

Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire

Mizu no Kuni – Land of Water

Konohagakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Leaves

Kumogakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Clouds

Kirigakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Mist

Hokage – Fire Shadow

Mizukage – Water Shadow

Raikage – Lightning Shadow

Sandaime – Third

Yondaime – Fourth

Genjutsu – Illusionary Techniques

Ninjutsu – Ninja Techniques

Taijutsu – Physical Techniques

Kekkei Genkei – Bloodline Limit

Sharingan – Pinwheel Eyes

Jinchuriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice

Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Monster Cat

Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox

* * *

_**A few notes for this so far; someone asked me why I have Yugito calling Naruto pup in this story, and truth be told I just did it, didn't even think. I thought that considering Naruto is the Jinchuriki to the fox, and foxes are closely related to dogs that I would have her call him pup. But now I'm not so sure. I'm starting to think Yugito calling him Kitten or Cub would be better. I'll think it through then make the changes to the other chapters if I think differently.**_

_**Also a note on the Omakes I will be putting at the end of the chapters. They'll mostly be an attempt by myself at humour (As bad as it may be), and although the first was directly linked to the chapter others will not be, like this one that takes a slice out of Naruto's life in Kumogakure. I got the idea after reading another Yugito/Naruto fic called Kitty, its more of a salute to the author than anything else; Death's Spear. **_


	6. Chapter 5: Assessment

_**Chapter 5**_

_**Assessment**_

All was quiet when the young woman excused herself and left the Hokage's office, it remained quiet for a few fleeting moments after, and only after Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long puff of his pipe did he turn to his chief information extractor. Chocolate brown orbs locked with dark blue for a handful of heartbeats, then finally the old man closed his eyes in contemplation "Inoichi, I want you to tell me whatever extra information you were able to glean from her mind. Her life, the circumstances surrounding their flight from Kumo, Everything"

The Yamanaka clan head nodded "Of course Hokage-sama, but my gleaning of her life was little to nothing. I did not pay much attention to those memories"

"I understand" the Sandaime replied "But still, tell me what you have learned"

"Hai" Inoichi said, before clearing his throat and taking a breath "She was made host to the Biju at the age of two. Her parents both died during the Third Shinobi World War along with most of her clan, and what few members survived died in the border skirmishes with us four years ago, all but her sister"

Hiruzen nodded his head. The Third Shinobi World War struck every country in the Elemental Nations hard. Konohagakure and her allies had been attacked by an alliance of Suna and Iwa, while at the same time Iwagakure was waging a war with Kumogakure to retake land usurped during the Second Shinobi World War some ten years before. Many small nations had been swallowed up by Tsuchi no Kuni during that war, including Kaijin no Kuni and Uzu no Kuni. Several independent Shinobi clans, once numbering in the hundreds before the war were almost completely wiped off the face of the earth.

"If she lost family to the border skirmishes then wouldn't that mean she may not see Konoha in a good light?" Jiraiya asked, truly curious.

Inoichi shrugged "She mourned their deaths, but she held no hate to anyone. It seemed that she just wanted the war to end, and was happy about the upcoming peace talks. But when the Head Ninja revealed his plans she felt disgusted and betrayed"

"I see" Hiruzen replied, then motioned him to continue.

"It was while she stalked out of the hotel to clear her head that she ran into Naruto. He was being chased by a deranged old man and ran into her. Yugito protected him from the old goat, rattled him a good bit too…but then the fool spilled that he was a Jinchuriki. The ANBU tried to dispel her opinions, but obviously it didn't work" he stopped to catch a breath "The attempt failed and she was retreating to a rendezvous point when she ran into Naruto again. He was locked out of the orphanage, soaked to the bone. She took him and fled back to Kumo with a few survivors"

"Hmm" Sarutobi hummed in deep thought, stopping a frown from forming. He was going to have ANBU bring in the orphanage workers responsible and send them to Ibiki for a few hours, should scare them good.

"She took him in. According to her memories Naruto was a mess, albeit a well concealed one. It took her two months to get him to open up to her, another six months before he became a regular kid again"

"So what happened in Kumo to warrant their fleeing?"

"An elder, Sakamoto or something like that, sabotaged Naruto's training in taming the Kyubi…or so she believes" Inoichi replied "He got the council to back him and overruled the Raikage. Naruto was forced apart from Yugito and her sister, and after three days she snapped and went after him" he shook his head, disturbed by the image of a pale Naruto, looking beat up and almost deathly tired "Whatever the man put him through was harsh, and if she hadn't have gotten him out when she did then…I don't know what would have happened"

Both Hiruzen and Jiraiya looked at Inoichi expectantly, awaiting any further information "The rest you can piece together. She fled Kumo, had Hunter-nin sent after her…then she met Jiraiya-sama"

The Sandaime Hokage leaned back in his chair, taking a long puff of his pipe, silence persevered for several heartbeats before the Yamanaka clan head cleared his throat and spoke again "If I may speak Hokage-sama" the old man nodded "It will only be a matter of time until the village realises that Naruto is back, and while hatred for the Kyubi has decreased over the years it has not vanished…especially among the civilian council"

"I agree" Jiraiya piped up "And the fact that his protector is also a Jinchuriki will make them really fuss about it…safeguards need to put in place for their protection"

The Sandaime nodded "The rule pertaining Naruto's condition is still in effect, we just add her to the rule. Simple as that…no one who already knows should know. Yugito is prohibited from using her powers in the village unless it is a life-or-death situation"

Both men nodded "You will have the support of my clan if their identities become known, Hokage-sama" Inoichi spoke up "And while I cannot say for certain you will probably have the support of the Akimichi, Nara and Inuzuka"

The aging Hokage nodded with a small smile "Thank you, Inocihi-san. Know I have kept you from your family for too long, you are excused"

"Thank you, Hokage-sama" the blonde replied, before turning and leaving the office.

Silence prevailed for several heartbeats as Sarutobi and Jiraiya starred at each other, finally after a long moment the Sandaime Hokage spoke "Was there a need to reveal your position as Narutos godfather?"

The Gama-Sennin shrugged "I stayed as a shadow once, and I failed to protect him. I won't fail a second time"

"Jiraiya" Hiruzen said firmly "I understand your wish to protect Naruto, but your closeness to Minato and Kushina will raise questions on who the boys parents were, and if rumours spread to other villages then the boys life will be at risk"

"I understand Sarutobi-sensei. I understand that you want Naruto to be old enough to be able to protect himself before you reveal his parentage to him and the village" the Sannin replied, leaning forward "But I refuse to just sit idly by and watch any longer, I made a promise to both Minato and Kushina and I will live up to it this time"

"So you plan on telling him that you're his godfather" the Hokage asked, and at his students nod sighed "You know the question he will ask"

"And I will answer him"

Sarutobi frowned, sagging into his chair "I can't convince you otherwise, can I?"

"Too late for that old man, the dye has been caste"

"Yes" he replied, before finding something interesting about his desk "Remove the seal, and then take them to your apartment"

"Hai" Jiraiya replied, and for the first time in years left the Hokage's office not through the window, but through the door. With care he walked across the ringed corridors of the palaces top level, his nose picking up the smells of the worn oak walls and enjoying the fading rays of the setting sun. This was one of the first structures to be built, right under the grand cliff face of the Hokage Mountain. This great building was the central pillar of the village, the other buildings and roads snaking from it like the veins and arteries of some great creature.

Finally he came to his destination, and opening the door saw both Yugito and Naruto speaking in hushed tones, seemingly ignoring the three ANBU guards in the rafters above. They obviously knew they were there. Both looked up when they saw Jiraiya enter. The kid was still unsure of him, but the older blonde gave him an amused smile "What's up Ero-Sennin"

"Ero-Sennin" He asked, in both mild shock and agitation "Ero-Sennin!?"

"Something the kid thought up there now" she replied with a smirk "Personally I think it fits"

"Don't call me that" he whined childishly "It'll ruin my reputation"

Both blondes raised eyebrows at this, and it was Naruto who spoke, his voice laced with scepticism "You have a reputation"

"Course I do brat" Jiraiya replied indignantly, before turning to face Yugito "I am the great and powerful Jiraiya!"

"The ship on your reputation has sailed old man" Yugito muttered.

"Hey!"

"What? It's true!"

Jiraiya sighed, before fixing his gaze on the older blonde "The Hokage has given the go ahead to removing the seal" He motioned to a couch at the side of the small meeting chamber "Lye on there for me, and I'll get this done"

Yugito frowned at him, then nodded and turned to Naruto "Could you wait outside for a moment cub? I have some business to take care off"

"Removing the seal, huh?"

"Yea"

"I heard that that really hurts" he said, as if absently, yet she could see the worry in his expressive blue eyes.

She gave him a grin "Don't worry, I bet you I've felt worse"

"I'll make it as quick as I can" the Sannin added "So she won't be in pain for long"

As an ANBU led Naruto out of the room Jiraiya waited for his charge to lye down on the couch, and pull up her black shirt just enough to reveal her navel, and the seal surrounding it. He inspected it for a moment. It was a simple seal compared to the one on Naruto, but whoever created it knew how strong it needed to be to keep the Nibi safely contained, yet weak enough to allow the Jinchuriki to tap into its power source.

"So how is this going to work?"

"I'd grit my teeth if I were you" was his reply as he looked into her almond eyes. He blurred through a set of hand signs, coating his palm in fiery blue chakra, and placing it on her stomach muttered a single word "Kai!"

A sizzling sound followed as the suppression seal was basically burned off her skin. Yugitos hands dug into the leather sofa, sharpened nails piercing through. She grit her teeth as her skin felt like it was being burned, proud that all she allowed through her lips was a pained whimper. Finally, mercifully, Jiraiya removed his hand and her pain slowly numbed to an ache. Yugito felt her chakra flow through her body again, like a soothing balm just under her flesh, and a voice echoed inside her head.

"_**Hello, Kitten"**_

"_Hello, Nibi"_

"_**So what I miss?"**_

"_We've just been granted sanctuary by the Sandaime Hokage, and Jiraiya of the Sannin"_

"_**Humph, humans and their titles" **_the Biju replied, before being silent for a while, as if in contemplation.

"Oi, lady" Jiraiya called "Are you done fazing out or what?"

"Sorry" she replied.

"_**Best get going to this apartment of yours and get some sleep" **_the Nekomata piped up _**"You have a ranking examination tomorrow"**_

* * *

Five minutes is a little late.

Fifteen minutes is a little late.

Even half an hour can be contributed as a little late if it was sweet coated enough.

Two hours is not a little late. Two hours is a blatant insult.

The young woman had waited patiently in the clearing for a half an hour, and then she started pacing. At the moment Yugito was falling upon her basic feline instincts. She had found a shaded resting place, under one of the perimeter trees, where she could relax and wait for her extremely late proctor to arrive.

It had all seemed to be going well for her. After an uncomfortable mind examination by the Yamanaka, who also was the clan head of said clan, she had been cleared of any possible involvement in the Hyuga incident four years ago. She did kidnap Naruto, but the Sandaime considered bringing him back gave her a clean slate. Jiraiya had removed the seal that cut off her chakra, and after a conversation with the Nibi to fill her in she and Naruto were escorted to their new apartment.

During the short walk she was relieved that they were led there in the evening, when nearly no one was around, and those who they did pass didn't seem to recognise Naruto. Yugito, truth be told was worried when, not if, the population learned that he was back. She worried what they might do to him. Jiraiya had tried to reassure her, but Yugito had told him that if his life was threatened by anyone she would use crippling, or even deadly force. The Sannin just smirked and gave her permission to do so.

His exact words were _"Good, rip the bastard's limb from limb"_

She had been surprised yet again, expecting him to try and convince her just to detain them or wait for the ANBU to intervene. Instead he basically gave her permission to dismember anyone who threatened Narutos life, and made it abundantly clear that he would do the same.

The apartment was located at the edge of the Shinobi district of the village, a block away from the market district. It was at the top level of a three storey apartment block. A beautifully furnished accommodation whose front door lead to an open plan living room, fully furnished with a couch and two chairs, a large window, leading to a balcony giving a beautiful view of the village. To the right were a set of doors, each leading to a bedroom. Two were single bedrooms while the other one was a master bedroom containing a king sized double bed, both of which had their very own en suite bathrooms. To the left was a live in kitchen with everything they needed, but the lack of food in the fridge and freezer meant that Yugito would need to start making an income fast to keep them fed.

Jiraiya said he would help them financially until she was certified as a Shinobi of Konoha, which took a load of worry from her mind. She had slept well in her king sized bed, enjoying being able to stretch her body out. When she awoke at eight in the morning her first instinct was to check on Naruto, and finding him sound asleep in his own room left to get ready for her examination, putting her full trust in the two ANBU watching the apartment from a nearby tree.

Yugito was a woman who prided herself on her ability, but she also knew her weaknesses. She had above average chakra reserves, almost Kage level. A master in Taijutsu, particularly in her families fighting style, and by extension had a talent in Kenjutsu. Her Ninjutsu was decent, although she always strived to improve. Her arsenal containing a small yet diverse array of lightning and earth release Jutsu, as well as an array of clone, substitution and fast movement techniques. It was Genjutsu, the art of illusion, that she considered her weak point. All Yugito knew was how to recognise and dispel illusions, as well as a handful of basic styles.

Slowly she opened her eyes just a creak and checked the suns position, it was almost midday and he still hadn't arrived. Even the ANBU shadowing her in a nearby tree looked a little agitated. With a sigh Yugito stretched her tired muscles with a groan. If he didn't arrive know he never would. A shadow fell upon her, and her eyes flew open to see the silhouette of a man.

"Hey there" he greeted in a relaxed voice.

"You're my examiner?" she asked, physically relaxing while her mind was in turmoil. _I didn't feel him approach._

"Yup"

"You're three hours late" she intoned before rising to her feet, stretching her muscles again as she took a look at the Shinobi before her.

"Two and a half actually" the man replied sheepishly "And as to why…Well you see a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the scenic route"

Somehow Yugito knew this was a lie.

The man standing before her was definitely a Jonin by his vest. He wore a black jacket and pants under it with the usual sandals. His hair was silver, with spikes that seemed to defy gravity; skin was a cream colour with a brown right eye, the left hidden behind a leaf headband, and the lower half of his face covered behind a black mask.

"Hatake Kakashi" she said, half in awe, half in disbelief "The Copy-nin is my examiner"

"Good, that means we know each other" Kakashi replied "Nii Yugito, The Azure Cat"

Kakashi Hatake, known across the elemental nations as the Copy-nin, a renowned A-class Shinobi who was said to have copied nearly a thousand Jutsu with his Sharingan eye. A veteran of the Third Shinobi World War, student to the Yondaime Hokage himself, and he was her examiner. There were rumours that he was one of the candidates for Hokage when the old man eventually retired.

Yugito was forced from her thoughts when she saw that he was walking towards the centre of the training field, and wordlessly followed. The clearing was large and mostly just grassland with a single stream of crystal clear water running through it. Three stumps stood in the middle of the open space, looking warn from use.

"Now, Hokage-sama has asked me to thoroughly test you in the Shinobi arts" Kakashi explained as he turned to face her, his one visible eye curled up "So I must apologise"

This confused her "Apologise for what?"

She could swear he was smiling behind his mask "For this"

Suddenly a pair of hands exploded from the earth beneath her feet, grabbing onto her ankles and giving a strong pull. Yugito only had time to give a startled squeak before she was buried up to her neck in dirt. She looked around, before seeing the form of Kakashi explode with a pop into a mass of white smoke.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" She cursed under her breath.

"Correct" Kakashi replied, kneeling down in a crouch beside her, eyes closed in amusement "Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu" he rose to his feet and sighed theatrically "I was expecting a little more from you"

Yugito smirked "What, you thought I was just lying under that tree, in full view, on purpose?"

Kakashi was about to ask her to elaborate, but then a pair of hands exploded from the ground where he stood, grabbing onto his ankles and giving a strong pull. Before the Jonin knew it he was up to his neck in dirt, watching as _Yugitos_ head turned brown and seemed to implode, melding perfectly with the dirt.

"Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu" Kakashi muttered under his breath, finding an incredible irony in the role reversal.

"Correct" Yugito replied, mimicking Kakashi's stance from a moment before, crouched and eyes closed in a wide Cheshire cats grin "Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu"

"You know what" Kakashi said before he exploded into a mass of white smoke with a pop, a voice was heard behind her "I think I might be starting to like you, Yugito-san"

Smiling herself Yugito rose to her feet and turned to see Kakashi, standing a few feet away "The feeling is mutual, Kakashi-san" _A move within a move. The earth trap was to test if I had the foresight to see it coming, and if I was capable of performing a counter._

_She definitely has experience, and intelligent to boot. _Kakashi thought to himself, watching the woman's every movement, no matter how subtle. _The rumours of the Azure Cat appear to have held a hint of truth._

"Okay, I doubt either one of us has the patience to sit through an entire day of examinations and tests. So I'll make this simple, a single examination which will test all of your abilities as a Shinobi" he reached into one of the satchels of his vest, pulling out a kunai knife "You have until midday to defeat me. Use every aspect within your arsenal, including weapons and Jutsu. But the Hokage has decreed that you may not draw upon the power of your tenant"

She looked at him questioningly, not surprised that her proctor knew her secret "Why not?"

"He wants to see how strong you are without having to call upon the Nekomata" Kakashi explained "Here we believe that a Shinobi's true strength comes from his or her own abilities, not those gained from a foreign power. Sarutobi-sama wants to see if your reputation was gained through your own powers or those of your tenant"

She frowned, before nodding. That put her trump card out of play. Still she wasn't defenceless "Alright, if that's a stipulation of the test then I accept it"

His visible eye curled up, and she could have sworn he was smiling again. Then it happened, Kakashi threw the knife, the blade soaring towards her in a blur. Yugitos hand blurred in response, reaching into her kunai holster to grab said weapon, and throwing it on an intercept trajectory. The two knifes met, clashing off each other and spinning in opposite directions.

She looked up to see Kakashi coming straight at her, hand grasping another kunai. She acted accordingly, drawing her katana from the small of her back and bringing it up just in time to counter the stab. Both blades met, screeching off each other for a handful of heartbeats. The attack was a feint, Kakashi disengaged and spun, bringing up his right leg for a strong kick to her abdomen. Yugito took it, being sent flying backwards, hand losing grip of her sword. She righted her fall, curling her body into a ball and somersaulting to the ground, landing in a crouch.

She rose and spun around, falling into the Black Tiger fighting stance and blocking a straight punch. Kakashi didn't relent for a moment, pressing his attack forward with a flurry of quick punches, swipes and kicks which Yugito quickly and efficiently intercepted. Yet every time she tried to counter with a grapple she found him just out of her reach. This man was familiar with her family's hand-to-hand style.

She ducked a spinning heel kick and coming down in a crouch lashed out with her right leg in a sweep. The Sharingan user jumped high in a chakra propelled leap, easily evading her leg sweep and, both hands slipping into his vest satchels unleashed a handful of shuriken upon her.

Using the spring of her bent knees Yugito jumped back, watching the throwing stars imbed themselves into the dirt before countering with her own flurry, but she added a twist. As her hand gripped three kunai she exerted her chakra, coating the blades with a film of lightning before throwing them. The adage of the element increased their speed and killing power exponentially.

Kakashi saw the attack coming, and managed to spin in midair, missing the blades by a few millimetres. He landed on his feet, skidding slightly to stop his spin and keep his balance. He cast a look to where the knives went only for his one visible eye to widen slightly. Two of the kunai imbedded themselves to the ring in the dirt, while the other went straight through the bark of a tree.

"Lightning coated kunai huh?" he mumbled before turning to face his opponent "Impressive. Lightning element is one of the hardest to manipulate, to be able to gather it and hone it until it is as sharp as a blade takes some considerable chakra control"

"I spent most of my young life going through chakra control training" Yugito explained "I was born with Kage level chakra reserves, yet next to no control. It took a trying training schedule and years of practise to finally get it"

"Does Naruto have the same problem?"

She frowned at the question "Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity" he replied nonchalantly "I'm just wondering if being born with high level chakra reserves is common among Jinchuriki"

She hated that name, but found enough patience to qualm herself saying as such. After a moment she relented "He has chakra reserves which dwarf mine, but I've been working with him on it, and he has greatly improved"

"I'm sure he has" Kakashi said, eyeing her for a moment before changing the subject "Your control of your Ninjutsu is superb, and your Taijutsu is excellent, though you seem to know only one style"

"My family style" Yugito answered, surprised he gleaned so much from such a short exchange "Why?"

"No reason" the Copy-nin replied "It's just that most Shinobi of Jonin level in Konohagakure tend to know the basics of at least two to three different fighting styles, to make their movements as unpredictable as possible. Yet you seem to only know one, and that would be a problem. It makes your movements predictable and easy to counter"

Most people would have found this observation insulting, but Yugito nodded instead "So what do you recommend?"

Kakashi looked thoughtful for a moment "I would recommend that you stop holding back Yugito-san. It is well known that the stipulation to know at least three different Taijutsu arts is common practise for Jonin in Kumogakure as well"

The Nibi Jinchuriki sighed, before changing her stance from her clan fighting style to the fighting art favoured by the Yotsuki, an art that specialised in conjunction with Kenjutsu. She sprinted for her katana, grabbing the hilt and forcing it from the ground as she passed. Yugito turned to see Kakashi right on her, his masked face a few inches from her own, his own katana drawn and falling in a diagonal stroke.

She brought her sword up, expertly intercepting her opponents, and lashed out with her foot in a sweeping kick, aimed for his side. Kakashi jumped away, the foot barely grazing him, yet it seemed to be just as she expected, for Yugito went on the offensive. She swung and stabbed out with her katana fluently, like a dancer in motion, and watched as Kakashi blocked and parried her every stroke. But he was continuously backpedalling, barely keeping his balance. Yugito did not give him a chance to recover, she went in for a feint and lashed out with her foot again, catching him in the abdomen and sending him flying across the grassland, landing on his back and back flipping to his feet.

This was the Yotsuki Dragon Claw Style Kenjutsu; a sword art which depended on quick strikes, slashes and stabs, acrobatic movements and quick strikes from knees and feet. With this style the practitioner always had to be in motion. She was not a master of the art, not by a long shot, but she was good enough to be considered a mid-level practitioner.

Kakashi had just gathered his bearings when he saw Yugito come at him again, sword held ready. He spread his legs, brought up his own katana defensively and waited for her to come to him. When she was within range he stabbed out, only to see her duck to the side, performing a chakra enhanced somersault over his head, coming down behind him and lashing out with her own sword. Kakashi was just able to spin around and block.

He parried the blade and stabbed out, aiming for her shoulder, only to see her dart to the right and bring him on the defensive again. Kakashi was no slouch when it came to Kenjutsu, but he had to admit that with this woman he was outmatched. He needed to get some distance and allow him usage of some of his Ninjutsu.

Then he had it, secretly he reached into his thigh holster, retrieving a few smoke bombs. As Yugito came running at him again he threw them onto the ground, causing them to explode and fill the surrounding area with a thick cloud of smoke.

"Not good enough" Yugito said as she rushed into the smoke, her hyperactive senses feeling a slight spike in chakra before picking up her opponent. He was rushing in from her left and wide open. Yugito spun, stabbing out with her katana, expecting the Copy-Nin to block, deflect or dodge, instead her enhanced hearing picked up the sound of steel piercing flesh. She watched as Kakashi threw himself onto her sword, eyes widening in horror as he grimaced in pain, his mask dampening from blood dribbling from his mouth.

Then his eyes curled up in an eye smile "Got you"

Yugito looked down and scowled when she saw that instead of blood flowing from the wound it was water, and as she looked up she watched as the body turned transparent and fell in on itself. She reeled back. The stream, he made a clone out of the water in the stream "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"

She turned to the stream to see Kakashi standing on the waters surface, going through a mass of seals, a lot of seals, meaning that he was about to release a very powerful Jutsu. The Nibi Jinchuriki made to intercept, but she was already too late. Finishing with the sign for the roster the Copy-nin called out the name of his attack, and the once serene river began to bubble "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu"

The water in the river seemed to explode, and a massive form became visible. A long neck, made entirely of water, leading up to a frill of horns and a rapidly forming long snouted head, a mouth full of teeth opened, crimson eyes starred mercilessly at her. The water dragon threw its head back and roared before soaring forward on a collision course with her.

In response Yugito sheathed her blade and blurred through a set of hand seals, all the while the long creature of condensed water came ever closer, maw open to swallow her whole. Just in time she finished her seals and kneeling to the ground slammed her hands into the earth, shouting out the incantation for the Jutsu "Doton: Doryūheki"

The earth before her began to crack and heave, and within moments a massive wall of rock and dirt shot out of the ground before her, nearly twelve meters high and hardened further by her own chakra. Barely a second after the wall erected the water dragon smashed head on into it with an incredible explosion, the pressure from the water Ninjutsu making the wall crack and its edges snap off. As soon as it started it stopped, and Yugito breathed a sigh of relief.

Her relief was short lived as Sharingan Kakashi used the water Jutsu to his advantage and used to distraction to outmanoeuvre her defences. She spun around to see him rushing towards her at high speed and with a quickness born from years of experience. Yugito brought her hands together, forming the signs for the boar and dragon. She blocked his downward fist and came forward with a palm, densely infused with lightning release chakra. "Raiton: Muhi"

Just as she was about to connect she looked into his eyes, only to see that his headband was moved up to his forehead, revealing his other eye, a crimson iris with three small black tomoe markings which seemed to spin around the pupil of their own accord. Yutigo looked into his left eye, her almond orbs unable to leave it, as if hypnotised. She was hypnotised. Something solid connected with her abdomen, sending her flying back and hitting the ground hard.

_That was the Sharingan, a three tomoe Sharingan. _Yugito thought, before cursing under her breath. _Shit._

A circle of leaves flew around her, as if she was caught in a tornado with her in the eye. As suddenly as the leaves circled they fell away, leaving her standing in the landscape she remembered standing on before. Yugito looked around with a frown, eyes sharp, scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

"Mom"

She turned around, gasping at what she saw. Lying on the ground, his eyes open and blank to the world around him was Naruto. His body covered in blood, mating his hair and skin crimson. Yugito staggered a step back, breath coming and going in shrill, shallow gasps. Then she tightly shut her eyes, violently shaking her head from side to side.

"This is not real" she hissed through her teeth, but the image was cemented in her minds eye "This is a Genjutsu. This is not real" snapping her eyes open she brought her hands together in the sign of the ram, and gathering her chakra into a condensed ball unleashed it upon the world, yelling "Kai!!!"

The vision before her ruptured, like she was looking through a pane of glass as the Genjutsu was forced to dispel. The image cracked, spider web like markings creeping along her vision, then with a resounding crash the reflection shattered into thousands of shards. Blackness reigned, followed by the landscape slowly coming back into focus. With a chilling calmness Yugito reeled her fist back, blocking a straight punch aimed to her face, and starring into Kakashi's slightly surprised gaze brought her fist forward, connecting with his right cheek and sending him flying back.

"Word of the wise" she growled as he hit the earth hard, and struggled to his feet "Don't mess with a cat and her kitten!"

Shaking his head to stop it from spinning Kakashi muttered "Bad dream?"

* * *

Uzuki Yūgao was one of the most trustworthy of the Hokage's ANBU, recruited shortly after gaining the rank of Jonin at seventeen, nearly a year ago. She had been one of eight ANBU selected by the Hokage to guard and protect one Uzumaki Naruto and his protector. Because of this she and her comrades had been briefed on everything by Hiruzen.

Yūgao had been only ten years old, still an academy student, when the Kyubi attacked the village, because of this she was one of the first to be evacuated to the shelters in the Hokage Mountains. She was an orphan, her mother and father being casualties during the Third Great Shinobi World War some five years earlier. She, like everyone else her age had been kept in the dark about the true events of the battle, and Yūgao only found out about it when she was accepted into the ANBU corps.

Even after learning the truth she held no real hatred or malice towards the boy. To her it sounded more like Naruto was the victim in the whole mess, forced to become the prison for that unholy monster. Yūgao didn't hate him; she pitied him for the enormous burden forced on his shoulders.

She held no hatred for him, but she held plenty of annoyance for her current assignment. Although it was one of the core jobs of an ANBU to survey she did not like being turned into a stalker, hidden on a branch of the tree across the street from their apartment. Her knees ached from being in the same position for the last five hours, and she desperately craved that her relief would soon arrive.

At first she didn't even know why she was needed, although the Kumo woman had left the apartment at half eight, followed by Yūgaos partner, to begin her entrance examinations the boy still had Jiraiya, the Gama-sennin himself protecting him. Though considering she had a good look at the main window and saw him rolled up in a sleeping bag like a cocoon on the sofa, snoring loudly, she began to change her opinion.

Her lingering doubt in the Sannin's protection sky rocketed when she saw Naruto exit the apartment, and begin to shoot his head left and right as if looking for something. Then he jogged across the street to within a few meters of her tree. She looked down, preparing to follow him if he continued on. He walked up to the trunk, and looked up. Yūgao could have sworn he was looking straight at her.

Maybe it was her imagination.

"Oi, ANBU-san!"

It wasn't her imagination.

Her head snapped down, and although her cat mask hid it her eyes were wide open and her mouth went slack in surprise. How could a child, maybe eight years old be able to see her from such a distance? She shook herself out of her stupefied state and looked down again to see him walking up the trunk of the tree.

It took him five seconds to scale the tree and make it to her branch, which he scaled over and fell into a crouch beside her. Naruto then looked right at her and grinned widely, almost sheepishly "Yo"

All that could have been seen of her surprise was her eyes as wide as saucers "You know tree walking?"

Now he did look sheepish, scratching the back of his head "Yeah, it was one of the first things I was taught. The trainers said that I was a hopeless case, but mom proved otherwise"

Yūgao nodded dumbly, before shaking her head to overcome her surprise. Naruto meanwhile sat on the branch beside her, legs dangling over the edge "So you're one of the people Jiji sent to protect me?"

She nodded, finally gaining some control of her motor functions.

"Can't be too comfortable out here for several hours, eh Nee-san?" besides herself she sighed, wishing for a nice hot cup of herbal green tea and a comfortable chair. Naruto seemed to read her mind, because he got up to his feet and grabbed her left hand, giving it a light tug "Come on"

Yūgao just starred at him for a moment, watching as he smiled, not the sheepish grin from earlier, but a simple, disarming smile "You're supposed to protect me right? Might be easier if you're in the same building as me and not sitting in this tree"

Before the ANBU agent knew it she had been forced to jump from the branch to the concrete pavement, and almost dragged across the street by an energetic eight year old. Before she knew it he had guided her into the lobby, down the corridors, up the stairs and into his apartment, before setting her on a nice, comfortable chair while he went to the en suite kitchen. After spending nearly three hours crouching in a tree Yūgao couldn't believe how content she was feeling, and when Naruto brought her a mug of tea, herbal green no less, she felt like she was in nirvana.

They both thought Jiraiya was asleep. They couldn't have been more wrong. An eye squinted open, looking at the ANBU agent just as Naruto handed her a cup of herb tea, and she made to remove her mask. _Eight years old and already bringing women home, I don't know whether I should be proud or jealous._

* * *

Kakashis form was a blur, effortlessly flying from one tree branch to another in an attempt to keep up with his examinee. After twenty minutes of intense combat, including impressive use of Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu his opponent had retreated into the surrounding forest. Whether this withdrawal was because of exhaustion or a backup plan Kakashi didn't know, but he guessed it was the latter.

After fighting with this woman he came to the conclusion that, even without the Nekomata, she was a worthy opponent on the battlefield. She was skilled in a few types of Taijutsu and by extension skilled in Kenjutsu, proving that the katana she owned was there for more than show. Her Ninjutsu arsenal, although formidable, were mostly designed for defense, with a few mid range attack, mostly those chakra coated kunai, and paralysis techniques thrown in. Most likely made to be used in conjunction with her symbiotic, something Kakashi hoped the Sandaime would be able to correct. She needed to learn some offensive techniques if she was to survive long and there were Shinobi out there powerful enough to subdue a Jinchuriki who depended on their prisoner to heavily.

Her weakness mostly lay in Genjutsu, although she was able to dispel most with her impressive release ability, he guessed she was subconsciously using her prisoner to create such a powerful disrupting shockwave of chakra, but was willing to let it slide. She didn't know any illusionary techniques suited for a battlefield. Against a seasoned Uchiha with a high level Sharingan she would definitely have trouble.

_You've been taught to rely on your Biju too much. _Kakashi thought as he stormed through the forest. _That can be dangerous, especially if you can't fully control it._

Yugito watched as Kakashi continued on his course, and smiled as he came into position. She had him. She threw the kunai held in her hand, before moving on, knowing that it would hit its target. _Did he honestly think I spent two and a half hours just waiting?_

The thrown kunai's aim was perfect, and cut through a tightly tied cord of rope, releasing her trap. A huge log, held in midair by rope flew at Kakashi like a battering ram, ready to strike. But Kakashi saw it, and his seasoned mind already thought of a way around it. He gripped the top of the log, and using his momentum pushed himself on top of it before jumping off it. He somersaulted in midair, hitting the ground and turning in time to see the log smash into a thick tree trunk, shattering the trap and chipping bark.

Yugito had made it to her second trap, and drawing her sword walked along a line of three strands of rope, each holding back a catapult of a tree branch, each holding a supply of rocks, twigs and the occasional kunai or shuriken. As she walked she cut the cords with her sword, releasing the artillery barrage upon her proctor.

Kakashi saw shadows on the ground, and looked up to see the barrage of rock, wood and metal fall upon him from above. His first thought was along the lines of clever, being able to interpret where he would land after dodging her first trap. Then he exploded into motion, flying back in a mass of back flips to dodge the hordes of rock and wood slamming into the ground just in front of him. He thought he was safe when he reached a fallen trunk, but a small series of dull thuds proved otherwise. Looking over his cover the Copy-nin saw a trio of kunai imbedded in the bark, a small slip of paper attached to one, lighting and burning away like a fuss.

_Paper bomb. _He thought before jumping back with a chakra enhanced leap, watching as the log he had taken cover behind exploded, sending crimson flame and timber debris flying in every direction. He hit the ground, skidded to a halt and took cover behind a heavy tree, hearing the pieces of wood smack off the trunk. He breathed a sigh of relief, which held when he felt the cold steel of a katana against his neck.

Opening his eyes Kakashi looked at the long blade, then felt hot air against his left ear and cheek as Yugito spoke, obviously pleased with herself "It's over"

"You're right about that" he said with a smile, before disappearing with a pop and a mass of smoke. Yugito staggered forward, growling a curse under her breath before she felt the cold steel of a kunai pressed against her neck. Kakashi leaned forward, and even with the mask his own breath warmed her left ear and cheek "Got you"

She growled, before releasing a groan of pure disappointment in herself as she dropped her katana. No Earth clone this time. He had the real one by the throat, meaning that he had won their little duel. With a sigh he released his grip and sheathed his kunai knife, waiting as she turned around, picking up her katana and sheathing it.

"Not bad. Your skill level without the Nibi is enough for Jonin" Kakashi explained, reaching up with his hand to position his headband back over his Sharingan eye "Congratulations, you pass"

Yugito blinked "Uh, thanks"

"Now then" the man finished "I have a report to make to the Hokage, make sure both you and Naruto are at his office at three in the afternoon" with that he vanished in a swirl of wind and leaves, the villages own patented version of the Shunshin no Jutsu. The blonde blinked at the empty space just as the leaves once more began to settle, and after a moment she brought her hands together in the same set of hand signs, vanishing with a static of electricity, initiating the Kumo version of the Shunshin no Jutsu.

* * *

To say that Yugito was surprised with this situation was an understatement. When she entered the apartment she saw that Naruto and Jiraiya weren't the only occupants. Sitting on one of the plush sofas was a young, fairly pretty ANBU agent, sipping a cup of herbal tea and looking like she was in nirvana. Not that the Nibi Jinchuriki could blame the girl, she had been crouched in a tree for three hours before she left.

One thing she knew very well about her charge was that he had a very warm and caring nature, sure he enjoyed playing the occasional prank, but those were mainly harmless, if a little aggravating at times. To this day she still tried to find out when he had the time to replace the contents of her shampoo bottle with black hair dye. It was the first and last prank he had ever pulled on her, if the threat of dissection by katana was to be believed.

"Oh hi mom" Naruto greeted warmly from the kitchen "Welcome home!"

"I'm home" Yugito replied with a smile, continuing their usual greeting when she returned from a mission.

"So how did your examination thingy go?"

"I think it went well, though we'll have to wait and see" she replied, flexing her shoulder muscles, finding them still a little stiff "That Kakashi-san doesn't pull his punches"

"You got Kakashi Hatake?" the ANBU asked from the couch.

Yugito looked the woman up and down, something Naruto noticed "It's okay mom, this is Uzuki Yūgao. She's one of the ANBU Jiji assigned to watch us, so she's cool"

The older blonde sometimes wondered about his incredible ability to trust people. She knew he saw the elderly Hokage as something like a grandfather. When they still lived in Kumo he used to tell her about how the Sandaime would come to visit and talk to him, make sure he was looked after and on a few occasions protected him from people who wished him harm. Besides her adopted sons beliefs though she wasn't so sure, in her experience Shinobi only got as old as he did by outliving his rivals.

That said she turned back to the ANBU, and bowed politely "Good morning"

She responded with a warm smile "Same to you"

Yugito peered over the other couch to see Jiraiya, still held up in his sleeping bag like it was a giant cocoon "How long has he pretended to be asleep?"

"Since Naruto dragged me into the apartment" Yūgao responded idly, taking another sip of her tea and sighing happily "About ten minutes after you left"

The sage creaked open an eye "You caught on, I'm impressed"

The older blonde sighed, before turning to her little brother/son "How's the fridge?"

The eight year old opened the door to show the barren interior "On empty"

"Alright" Yugito said "Come on, let's take care of this before our meeting with the Hokage"

"Do you need some help?" Yūgao asked.

The older blonde thought about it for a moment, then shrugged "Come on then, the more the merrier"

* * *

The shopping had passed by rather event free, and was considerably easier when an ANBU agent who knew the market district like the back of her hand was showing you the best deals and where to buy the more high quality merchandise. Yūgao was very helpful, and seemed to take an immediate liking to Naruto, and vice versa, the eight year old cub had even accidently called her Nee-san once or twice.

In typical fashion Naruto wanted to get nothing but instant ramen, something that both women immediately said no too, only allowing him to buy three cups of his favorite flavors before moving on to look for other groceries. Yugito understood his fixation, ramen was cheap and easy to cook, and when she listened to his stories of this village he had mentioned this little ramen stand whose owners had given him free food when he was hungry.

But she refused to allow him to eat nothing but ramen at every meal, it was just not healthy. Yugito was addicted to fish yet she didn't have it at every meal. The two women had bought a mass of fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, rice, fish, a variety of healthy fruit juice drinks and, to Yūgaos surprise almost a gallon of low fat milk.

They had to go back to unload their bags before going out on another run. But while they were shopping, and Naruto was pouting over only getting three cups of ramen, Yugito and her watcher had got a friendly banter going; Yūgao asking her about what life in Kumogakure was like and Yugito doing likewise, they talked about the missions they went through, how they each became ANBU of their own respective, or in her case former, villages.

By the time they finished shopping, picked up Jiraiya and were heading to the Hokage's palace the two women were acting like old friends. Yūgao even went as far as mentioning this boy called Hayate she liked; to which Yugito grinned and started teasing. To anyone who looked it was just two young women chatting, with a kid and old man in tow.

But as things calmed down and they entered the palace Yugito found her experience in this village strange, in Kumogakure newcomers were put under surveillance by at least a full squad of elite ANBU, not just one or two. Newcomers wouldn't have been allowed to roam around as freely as she had been, but here she had been able to move freely to the training ground, and go out shopping, albeit with an ANBU agent.

To her security in this village seemed pretty lax, and she wondered if the twenty odd years of relative peace had made the strongest of the five Great Shinobi Villages soft.

The two arrived at the Hokage's office right on time, with both Jiraiya and Yūgao acting as escort. As usual the old man was behind his desk, looking up at them with a pleasant and warm smile before beckoning them to enter. Naruto jumped onto one of the chairs, and sat down cross legged. Yugito, in a more reserved manner sat down and waited.

"It is done" Hiruzen said, bringing forward a small binder of paper and a pen "You were lucky you arrived a month into the academy year. Just sign here as Naruto's guardian and he will join the classes on Monday week"

Yugito nodded, picking up the pen and signing her name on the front form, swiftly she looked through the small assortment of papers, reading the odd important detail before signing her signature. It seemed that no matter what village you were in there was always a large amount of paperwork.

She finished quickly and handed the folder back to Sarutobi, who took it with a smile "Good, good. Now let us discuss the details of your prohibition period. Usually when a Nuke-nin such as yourself seeks sanctuary in this village he, or in your case she, has to go through a prohibition period of roughly three months depending on the current state of affairs. During this time you will be shadowed by a select group of ANBU to make sure you're not an enemy spy or instigator. Is that understandable?"

Yugito nodded her understanding, while Naruto looked slightly confused but choose not to speak up about it. This prohibition period was used in all the Shinobi villages, and depending on the village's opinion of foreigners the time period could be anything from a month to three years. Konoha was considered one of the more relaxed villages.

"Excellent" Hiruzen replied "Now I don't want to keep you"

That appeared to be their cue to leave. Both Yugito and Naruto rose, the elder bowed but the younger looked bored out of his mind, signifying that it was definitely time to go. Both turned and where about to leave, when they heard a commotion taking place outside the office.

A man's voice could be heard just outside the doors, arguing with the receptionist, and neither blonde noticed Jiraiya nor the Hokage's eyes widened in near panic. The door slammed open to reveal a middle aged man with dark eyes and shoulder length black hair, his fringe parted. Skin was tanned with slight creases of age under his eyes and the sides of his mouth.

Fugaku Uchiha looked at Yugito in mild confusion, before noticing a head of gravity defying blonde locks. He looked down at the small eight year old blonde, and realization hit his features. Naruto saw the middle aged mans eyes change, the irises turning crimson with three black curved teardrop-like symbols appearing around the pupil. Fugaku stared down at the blonde with a cold, hate filled glare.

"_You!"_

* * *

_**Omake: First Prank**_

Shutting the water off an eighteen year old Yugito opened the door to her shower, a delicate hand reaching out to grasp the slightly rough material of a white towel. Calmly pulling it from its rack and using it to dry herself before wrapping it around her body.

She exited the shower, walked over to the sink and hanging mirror on the other side of her apartment's small bathroom. The teen yawned as she stood before it, turning on the tap and splashing cold water over her face before looking up in the mirror. Her eyes stared blankly at her image for a moment, before widening.

Two miles away an eighty year old man nearly had a heart attack as a panicked shriek filled the air.

Peeling herself off her ceiling Yugito looked up and winced at the cracks, looking down at her hands to see that she had unconsciously called upon the Nibis power to turn her finger nails to claws. She shook her head and looked back at the mirror, blinking repeatedly.

Yugito quickly set her mind to the task of figuring out just what in the name of god was going on. At first she thought it was a nightmare, but a slap to the face quickly dispelled the notion. Then she thought she was hallucinating. If it was then she hadn't had such a good one since she took those mushrooms in Iwa.

Her hair was black.

Raven black.

She could have sworn it was blonde when she went into the shower, though her eyes were glued shut at the time. Thanks to her feline prisoner she had low blood pressure in the morning, which meant that without a hot shower or high concentrations of caffeine she was basically a zombie.

With speed she spun and rushed into the shower, checking every bottle she ever used, before taking her shampoo, opened it and took a sniff.

That didn't smell like her shampoo.

It smelled like hair dye.

Her highly sensitive ears became atoned to snickering just outside her door, which ceased upon hearing a sweet singsong voice, which coming from his Onee-chan meant big trouble "Na-ru-to!"

"Oh oh"

* * *

_**Glossary**_

Shinobi – Ninja

Jonin – Elite Ninja

Sannin – Three Ninja

Kaijin no Kuni – Land of Ash

Tsuchi no Kuni – Land of Earth

Uzu no Kuni – Land of Whirlpool

Iwagakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Rocks

Konohagakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Leaves

Kumogakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Clouds

Sunagakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Sand

Hokage – Fire Shadow

Raikage – Lightning Shadow

Sandaime – Third

Yondaime – Fourth

Biju – Tailed Beast

Jinchuriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice

Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox

Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Monster Cat

Doton: Doryūheki – Earth Release: Earth Style Wall

Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu – Earth Release: Head-hunter Technique

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique

Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu - Water Clone Technique

Raiton: Muhi – Lightning Release: Paralysis

Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique

Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu – Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique

Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu – Earth Clone Technique

Sharingan – Pinwheel Eyes

* * *

_**Right folks, sorry for the wait, and wham right in there with a cliff hanger. This can be considered either incredible genius or unnatural cruelty. So you may lean back and think 'Hmm, pretty clever' or you could lean forward, cry out in emotional agony and say 'You cruel bastard!'. Either way it means I did the job right ;-)**_

_**As for the Omake, I'm not so sure I'm happy with this one, I thought it up as a medium level prank Naruto could pull, and it seemed funny when it was in my head, but now I'm not so sure…**_


	7. Chapter 6: Assassins in the Night

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Assassins in the Night**_

"_You"_

Merciless eyes the colour of blood bore down upon his azure. The small black tomoe spinning clockwise across the sclera, so fast they were just a blur of motion to him. Naruto was scared, he had never felt such a sense of foreboding descend upon him, even the cold gazes he remembered were nothing compared to this. Before these eyes he felt that his heart could stop.

A hand gripped his shoulder, and moved him back and to the side, placing him behind his moms left leg, taking his gaze away from the murderous Sharingan eyes which were starring straight at him. His protector's voice filtered through his mind, soft yet commanding "Stay behind me"

Confident Naruto was safely behind her Yugito levelled her pointed gaze upon the man who dared caste such a threatening glare upon him. Her own eyes began to glow with a slight malevolent cerulean light as she starred into the eyes of one of the most powerful Doujutsu in history. Time seemed to stop. No one moved, not the Hokage, or Jiraiya, nor herself or the Uchiha, not even Naruto.

"Jiraiya-sama" Yugito said with a slight impatience "Remember when you said I can rip anyone who threatens him limb from limb…you might want to tell him to stop or that is exactly what I will do!"

The Sharingan was a powerful Kekkei Kenkei, one of the most powerful in the elemental nations, but she was a Jinchuriki to a Biju, and that in her mind evened the odds considerably. The Uchiha scoffed "Step aside woman, what can you do against me!?"

"Come at me and find out" she replied heatedly, her eyes took on a darker shade of blue, replacing her usual almond "I promise it will be an experience you will never forget"

A hand gripped Yugito's shoulder, and the blonde turned her head to set a hard glare upon Jiraiya. The Toad Sage spoke, but his eyes were set on the Uchiha clan head "You two are done for the day, go on home"

The elder blonde looked like a retort was on the edge of her tongue, but she stopped herself when he set his own dark eyes upon her. The look he gave basically screaming that he would deal with it. So Yugito grit her teeth, exercising some hard fought restraint before hooking an arm around Naruto's shoulder to guide him out, sending a hard glare Fugaku's way as the double doors closed behind them.

Jiraiya sent a hard glare at Fugaku Uchiha, which was returned with equal intensity "Whether you like it or not Fugaku the kid is back, and it won't be like last time"

"Is that a fact" the Uchiha clan head replied mockingly "And what can you do about it?"

"Quite a bit actually" Jiraiya replied "For instance the laws protecting him are still in place, and I have given his guardian permission to kill anyone who is a threat to him, and she is very good at her job"

"I see" Fugaku replied, pushing past him to set his gaze upon the Hokage "But isn't he still legally an orphan, meaning that until he officially becomes a Shinobi he is still under the legislation of the civilian council"

"Usually yes" Sarutobi agreed, speaking for the first time "But that has been rectified"

"Explain"

"You see the one you were having a staring contest with is Nii Yugito, a former Jonin ANBU Captain of Kumogakure and A-rank Kunoichi. She was one of their best" Hiruzen explained in his usual sagely voice "She was made Naruto's guardian when he was kidnapped, and over time the two formed a strong bond. She fled Kumo with him when the council overruled the Raikage about a certain training regime they were going to put him through and came here looking for amnesty" he set Fugaku with a harsh glare "One of her conditions was that she be allowed to adopt Naruto, and by the signatures of these forms it is official"

Jiraiya allowed a smug smirk to cross his features "Meaning that he is no longer an orphan, and so is no longer under the jurisdiction of the civilian council"

"Thank you Jiraiya" the Hokage said with a smirk.

"I will be bringing this forward to the council"

"You are welcome to do so Fugaku" the Sandaime intoned "But I doubt you'll get anywhere, what with your condescending attitude as of late…and I know for a fact that I have the support of the Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi and Inuzuka clans"

Fugaku grit his teeth. He could go to the civilian council, but their power was all legislative. They had no real power against the Hokage or the Council of Fire. Finally he shook his head, trying to form several new contingencies to the old problem he thought had gone away.

"Is there any other reasons why you are in my office, Fugaku-san?"

"Yes Hokage-sama" he ground out.

No one in the room noticed the little kikaichū insect perched on the far side of the offices windowsill, listening in to the entire conversation.

------

The man sat quietly upon a tatami mat, head bowed, legs crossed and hands resting on his knees. The only sounds which could be heard in the underground chamber was the water falling from a crack along the pipeline, falling in small drips exactly every two seconds.

He was an interesting individual, dressed in a black high collared jacket and pants, a red sash tied to his waist and a gas-like mask covering the top half of his head. He did not wear a Jonin vest of Konoha, but one could tell by his body language that he was of that level. His very pose screamed that he was or once was a member of the ANBU corps.

The floating kikaichū insect went by seemingly unnoticed, falling from the ceiling high above and landing silently on his shoulder. His hand flew up with blurring speed, catching the insect and bringing it close to his ear. For a couple of moments there was silence, then the man nodded and opened his hand, allowing the little creature to fly away.

"Well"

He looked across at the man sitting opposite him, also on a tatami mat, sipping a cup of herbal green tea "It is as you thought Danzo-sama. Uchiha Fugaku has learned of the return of Uzumaki Naruto, but there is more?"

Danzo remained silent, waiting for his subordinate to continue. Aburame Torune was one of the eldest members of Root, and was also considered one of the organisations most highly ranked Shinobi. A member of the infamous Aburame clan he was a master in the arts of controlling insects, and even played host to a rare breed of deadly kikaichū insects within his own body.

"It appears that the Uchiha clan is backing down from the confrontation" the information gave Danzo pause for a moment, before he scoffed lightly.

"It is a ploy. The Uchiha are too arrogant to back down unless they're planning to stab Hiruzen when his back is turned"

"Hokage-sama appears to think that way as well, Danzo-sama" the Aburame replied in the monotone common among his clan "But he is preparing to bring down the alert level from five to three"

Shimura Danzo sat there for a moment, as if deep in thought, then with a heavy sigh he rose from his place, turned and began to walk out of the chamber "Thank you Torune, you are dismissed"

"Hai, Danzo-sama"

------

Naruto peered studiously over the text book, his eyes darting left and right as he read the information from the pages and tried to commit it to memory. The book was given to him by Ero-Sennin, who told him that he needed to read through the first six chapters before he started the academy next week. Apparently he had missed out on the first month of the academy and needed to catch up.

The textbook, named _A Basic Guide to the Shinobi Arts _was apparently mandatory for all students in the first year, and explained the duties and responsibilities of being a Shinobi, as well as the hierarchy of the village, detailed explanations of the ranks from Genin to Kage, and the most basic terms of the human chakra system.

Without help an eight year old child wouldn't be able to get his head around so much information, much less in a week. Luckily he had a tutor who was considered a Jonin level Shinobi, and who knew these terms and topics like the back of her hand. Yugito was sitting on the chair next to him; a small smile gracing her features every time he told her there was something he didn't understand.

"That kind of sucks" the young blonde muttered "Genin only gets D-rank missions!?"

Yugito smirked "D-rank and the occasional C-rank when you start proving yourself. You see Naruto a Genin is considered the lowest rank within a Shinobi army, usually those fresh out of the academy. So to get you started they give you simple low level missions"

"But why"

"Well" the elder blonde started "Mostly to see if you can work together with your teammates, but also to earn money for yourselves and your village. Although the higher rank missions pay more it is the simple D-ranks that make up the majority of village earnings in peace time"

Naruto looked up at her questioningly "Did you have to do this mom?"

Her face feel for a moment, a sad smile "No. I became a Genin when I was about your age. The Third Shinobi World War was in full swing, and I was sent to the frontline" she shivered slightly at the memories of what she had seen, and what she had been forced to do to survive, but shook it off "Let's just say that D-ranks become less of a priority when there is a world war going on"

"Oh" Naruto replied, seeing the pain in her eyes and deciding to change the topic. He once again peered over the book, looking through the passages.

They went on at that for another half hour, then Jiraiya came in, saw them studying his book and grinned "Well, well, got the brat started already huh?"

"The sooner he starts the sooner he learns" Yugito replied absently.

"Hey Ero-sennin, I am not a brat!" Naruto called out indignantly.

"I tell you what" the middle aged man replied with a smirk "You stop calling me Ero-sennin, and I stop calling you brat, deal?"

"Not a chance" his remark caused Yugito to smirk.

"Then I keep calling you brat, brat" Jiraiya answered, moving into his kitchen.

Naruto harrumphed, but was quickly moving back to study the textbook. After a moment of silence Yugito decided to leave him to it, and rising to her feet followed the Toad Sannin out to the kitchen. Once she was there she saw the elder Shinobi, leaning against the far line of cupboards, arms folded and eyes serious.

"So what happened after I left" she asked as casually as she could, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of milk.

"The cats out of the bag"

"Funny guy" Yugito replied dryly, before her own expression became serious "Who was that man. I could tell he was an Uchiha by the Sharingan eyes, but why did he threaten Naruto like that?"

"His name is Fugaku Uchiha" Jiraiya answered, noticing her tense up slightly at the name "Head of the Uchiha clan and the commander in chief of the Konoha Military Police"

"Great" Yugito muttered, absently taking off the cap and downing half of the bottle.

"Relax" Jiraiya smirked "There's very little he can do to Naruto. He doesn't have any clout with the Council of Fire and the old man has already gained assurances that at least four of the major clans will side with him"

"It's not the Shinobi council I'm worried about" Yugito replied, downing the rest of the bottle and tossing it over her shoulder into the bin "It's the civilian council"

"What has Naruto told you?" Jiraiya asked seriously.

"Enough to make me want to find the heads of the orphanage and rip their throats out" the blonde replied.

"You won't have to do that" the Sannin replied, nudging past her to the fridge and retrieving a small bottle of Sake, throwing another to her "The old man has already sent a team of ANBU to _escort _them to Ibiki-kun"

She smirked "Can I sit in on the interrogation"

"Don't forget you've just started probation" Jiraiya reminded absently, opening the bottle with his teeth and spitting the cork into the bin "And they'll probably be wetting themselves before too long. Don't know about you but that would be something I wouldn't want to smell"

"Good point" the former Kumo Jonin replied, opening her Sake bottle and taking a sip "So should I be worried about Fugaku?"

"Nah" the elder replied "Fugaku may see Naruto as the fox in human clothing, but he's not stupid enough to sanction an assassination attempt. At least not with me and the old man's ANBU present"

"Why does he hate Naruto so much?"

Jiraiya looked her in the eyes, and then sighed "He lost his parents to the fox, as well as his younger sister - Kasumi – he was holding her hand when she died. From what I heard she was always his conscience"

"Oh"

"Looking at it from his point of view I can't really blame him for hating the Kyubi" Jiraiya said lowly "But this is different. Naruto is an innocent third party of the entire thing – he is so blinded by his own grief that he doesn't see Naruto as the jailer. He just see's the fox that crushed his sister underfoot"

"I suppose I understand where he's coming from"

"You don't mean-"

"Of course not" Yugito replied tightly, insulted that he would ever consider that she would ever side with that man. Losing a loved one is a hard thing to get over, but not a good enough excuse to take the life of a child "Naruto is not the Kyubi. Same way as I'm not the Nibi. Anyone who doesn't understand that is a fool"

Jiraiya nodded his head, a small smile forming on his lips. Whether Naruto knew it or not he had found someone who cared for him, and was willing to sacrifice anything to protect him "Well you can count on my support" he said with a genuine smile, giving her the thumbs up "Welcome to Konoha"

She smiled a little in response "Thank you"

They entered the living room a few minutes later to find that Naruto had fallen asleep, his face against the open pages of his textbook. With a gentle smile she lifted him up in her arms and walked into his bedroom, depositing him in his bed and pulling the covers over his still form.

She saw Jiraiya lying on the couch as she exited the bedroom, smirking "What?"

"Not a thing" he replied, rising from his resting place to look at her "Not a thing at all. You go on to bed. I think I'll stay up for a little while longer"

Yugito frowned at him for a handful of heartbeats, before shrugging and walking into her own bedroom, closing the door behind her.

He had just settled down when he felt a tingling feeling from his upper right arm. Frowning he pulled up the sleeve of his red buttoned shirt to reveal an oak tree tattoo. The individual branches each representing one of the seals he had placed around his apartment. They were all black, except the lowest right branch, which was flashing red. Someone had set off the seal. He stood, bit his finger and made a few hand signs, slamming his hand to the floor with a whispered.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu" _a small black circle, inscribed with runes appeared for a moment before an explosion of white smoke encompassed the room. When it cleared Jiraiya stood, starring at a Frog half his size, a katana strapped to his back.

"Watch them" he ordered "I have a few intruders to take care of"

"Hai"

------

The silence of the night was shattered as five individuals landed on the roof with a mass of taps. All looked around, scouring the area for any sign of pursuit. Satisfied they huddled together in a crouch. Four of them were career Genin. Normal foot soldiers of Konoha's impressive Ninja army, the fifth individual wore the flak jacket of a Chunin. He looked at each of his comrades, gaining nods from them all.

"No ANBU?"

"None" one, a tubby man with his Hatai-ite hung from his neck stated "They mustn't have gotten the roster ready yet"

"Good" the Chunin looked at his unit of Shinobi "Prepare yourselves for tonight is the night we kill that damned Kyubi no Yoko once and for all"

They all nodded, determined to get the job done.

"I have waited eight years for this" one of them, a middle aged man with greying hair growled "Ever since that monster killed my son, I have waited for this"

"My daughter will be avenged tonight" another stated.

"Our opponent is Jiraiya-sama though" a sinewy bald man informed them.

"What about that Kumo Shinobi we were told to watch out for?"

"Their bound to be asleep" the Chunin waved off "We get in quick, kill quick and leave quick"

Just then an explosion of smoke filled the roof, forcing the startled Ninja to jump away to the adjacent rooftops. A silhouette could just be made out, a bulky man with long hair stood tall and proud, his arms folded.

"Do you want to know the reason there aren't any ANBU protecting the boy" the man asked. The smoke cleared to reveal the legendary Sannin himself, his expression one of deadly seriousness. "Because I'm here"

"Now" he asked calmly "Who of you wishes to die first?"

The two Genin on the next rooftop threw a handful of shuriken and kunai at the Sannin, hoping to take him out of the fight quickly. They riddled him, only to see his body explode in a puff of white smoke, replaced by a thick log.

"Substitution" one yelled before a shadow fell on them.

Looking up they saw the Toad Sage descend upon them like a bird of prey, his fist reeled back for a punch. As he landed his hand slammed into the face of the tubby Ninja, his left cheekbone shattering under the force of the impact. For a moment nothing happened, then the power behind the blow was released and the Genin flew several feet back, landing hard on the roof edge. The other drew a kunai and in a panic tried to stab him, but the sage ducked the blade and brought his fist up for a perfect uppercut to the chin, the man flew back like a ragdoll.

Another wave of shuriken was thrown at him, this time from the two other Genin who had landed on the street below. Jiraiya jumped from his perch, the shuriken imbedding the area where he once stood. Making hand signs with such speed that it was a blur to the low level Ninja on the ground.

"_Doton: Yomi Numa"_

He slammed his hands into the road and without warning the ground at their feet changed, turning from tough hard concrete to a swampy mud. Before they realised it the Ninja's own weight was used against them, and they found themselves sunk to their knees.

"Best not to move" the sage instructed "The more you struggle, the deeper you'll sink"

He was forced to jump to the side, narrowly avoiding the kunai imbedded in the concrete, attached to the ring at the end of its handle was a small sealed slip of paper, which lit up and started burning like a fuse.

A paper bomb

The bomb exploded, its aftershock sending Jiraiya barrelling into a lamppost. The post cracked under his weight, and the fire lamp hanging from the top fell to the ground in a small explosion of flame. The Chunin appeared, face set in a snarl as he approached the downed form of Jiraiya.

"Great and Legendary Sannin huh" the man mocked, taking off his bandana to reveal a head of spiked brown hair.

"What have you done Kurou?" one of the trapped Ninja asked in shock.

"I got rid of an obstacle" The Chunin shrugged, a kunai flew into his hand "And now I'm going to remove it permanently"

"By kami, do you know who that is?"

"Doesn't matter" Kurou replied "All that matters is that we kill the Kyubi" he rolled the unconscious Sannin over and held his kunai to the man's neck "Sayonara"

He slashed his throat and watched as the body vanished in a puff of smoke. He stumbled back with a yelp "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

"Yeah" a voice said from behind him "You shouldn't have done that"

He turned to be met with a swirling ball of pure blue chakra impacting against his sternum. The sage held it in one hand, a grim smile on his face as the Rasengan ripped through the Chunin like a knife through warm butter. The ball seemed to explode, the force sending Kurou spinning through the air, slamming into a far wall with a bone crushing thud.

The man coughed and hacked as Jiraiya approached, spitting out a gob of blood as he came up on his hands and knees. Ruthlessly a hand grabbed his collar, hauled him to his feet and slammed him hard against the wall he just put a crater through.

"Now you're going to give me some answers" the Spy Master said in an emotionless tone "Who sent you, were you acting alone or with help?"

"Why" the man rasped "Why are you protecting that monster?"

"He is not a monster" the older man replied "He is the host to a monster"

"Same difference" the man croaked; then cried out as he was slammed against the wall again.

"No, it's not" Jiraiya spat vehemently "There's as much difference as a jailer and a criminal. The kid was forced to bare the curse of sealing up that monster to protect this village. He was the sacrifice. He is the hero!"

"Hero" the man repeated mockingly.

"Yes, hero" the Sannin replied "Would you blame the jailer for the actions of the criminal? Then you are the monster!"

"It makes no difference" Kurou coughed "We will not be the last, there will be others. Sooner or later the monster will die"

"Well" the old man replied, free hand creating another Rasengan "You won't be here to see it" he slammed the swirling chakra ball into the man's abdomen, a kill shot this time. Kurou screamed his last scream and his body went limp, calmly Jiraiya pulled his bloody hand from the hole he made in the Ninja's chest "Sayonara. Go to whatever hell awaits child murderers!"

He dropped the body like rubbish he found on the street and turned to the two Ninja trapped in his swamp technique. It was then, with a blur of motion that a full tactical squad of ANBU appeared at the scene, their animal masks hiding their faces. One, a man with a dog mask came forward "You've made quite a mess, Jiraiya-sama"

"Ah Kakashi" the Sannin greeted "Long time no see, you've grown a few inches"

"Well what do you expect" the ANBU asked lightly, taking off his mask "It has been eight years since you visited this village"

"True"

"We'll be taking them from here Jiraiya-sama"

"I take it they will be punished"

"The penalty for such a crime is capital punishment, execution by hanging" Kakashi replied, ignoring the anguished howls from the Genin.

"How can you do this" one screamed "How can you protect that thing?"

"My daughter died because of that monster!"

"Shut up" Kakashi growled, his killing intent radiating from him in waves "You weren't going to kill a monster. You were going to kill an eight year old boy who had been forced to be the catalyst to seal that demon away. I would kill you here and now if the Hokage decreed it"

"I'm sorry for the loss of your daughter" Jiraiya spoke up "But you are not killing the demon. You were just going to hurt an innocent child, and for that crime there is no reprieve"

The man seemed quiet, and then he chuckled weakly "It makes no difference. You were so busy with us that you never thought that we had a sixth person"

To their surprise Jiraiya smirked "You seemed to forget that I have backup"

"Who, the Toad summon"

"Oh no" Jiraiya replied with a shake of his head "Someone much worse"

Before the man could ask who there was a crash as something heavy was sent flying through glass and landed hard on the floor with a bone crushing crack. Jiraiya himself flinched when he heard the sound of the man colliding with the ground from a drop of at least three stories "The boys guardian isn't the most forgiving individual"

He turned to see Yugito landing elegantly beside the Genin she had sent flying through the window, looking down at him for a second before walking over to Jiraiya and Kakashi. She smirked "What? Did you think such a weak fool would be a match against me?"

Jiraiya smirked, and then turning to the ANBU nodded his head. He watched as the ANBU each grabbed a Genin, immobilising them with a few well timed chops, and carried them away to the ANBU torture and interrogation department. Kakashi remained.

"So how is Naruto" the man asked.

"Looking more like his father every day" Jiraiya replied "Want a drink? I've got a full bottle open"

The ANBU captain thought about it, then shrugged "Why not, my shift's over anyway"

"I take it you two know each other" Jiraiya asked.

Yugito nodded "We know each other in passing"

"Indeed we do" Kakashi replied, then bowed slightly in apology "Forgive me for the jab I made at the Nibi during our spar, I was mad that I wasn't able to protect Naruto like I should have"

"So a Konoha-nin doesn't rely on his or her own strength?" she asked teasingly, to which Kakashi shrugged.

"This eye isn't mine" he replied, pointing to the eye hidden by the headband "I just wanted to see how good of a fighter you were without the Nibi's chakra"

Yugito smirked, leaning in until their noses were barely a few millimetres apart "And how was my performance, Kakashi-_senpai_?"

To his credit the Copy-nin managed to keep a slight blush off his cheeks at the close proximity, even more so when he picked up a slight scent of jasmine "I reported to the Hokage that you were Jonin level at least, so he will probably hand you a flak jacket when you become an honorary Shinobi"

The blonde smiled, leaned back and then made a motion with her hand "Drink? I don't know about you two but this little incident has left me wishing for something strong"

She turned and walked into the apartment block. Both males followed, but Kakashi saw the perverted smirk on Jiraiya's face "What?"

"Nothing"

------

Hiruzen Sarutobi signed off another consent form, placing it on his rapidly building pile of finished paperwork and reached for another only to find that there was nothing left to sign or stamp. He had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't noticed the rapidly declining number of papers.

The reason behind this was the thoughts swirling around the elderly Hokage's head. News of the failed assassination attempt had spread like wildfire throughout the village. The clans and elders were in an uproar, and were demanding an explanation for the skirmish that took place outside of Jiraiya's apartment.

He had no choice, any cover story he would try to implement would fail, and he had no doubt that either Fugaku Uchiha or Danzo would use this whole ordeal to try and get to Naruto. So he decided to surprise them. He sent out messages to each of the clan heads and elders of the Konoha Council of Fire, explaining the assassins target and asking for an emergency meeting to discuss the issue.

Naturally the replies were quick and crisp. The meeting was going to take place later that day. The door at the other side of his office creaked open, and the old man looked up wearily to see his former student walk right in. Besides the situation he smiled "I swear this is the most times you've visited me in years"

"Plenty of work to be done" the Spy Master replied, taking a chair at the other side of the Hokage's desk "I take it you heard of the assassination attempt last night?"

"The whole village knows about last night" Hiruzen replied, rubbing his temple "And I had no choice but to call an emergency meeting of the council. I can't keep their existence a secret from them any longer"

Jiraiya nodded "So you want me to be there?"

"You do have a hereditary seat" Hiruzen replied with a nod "And I could use your support"

"You have it" the Sannin nodded "What news have you been able to get from those wannabe child murderers?"

"Ibiki sent me a file of the interrogations" The Sandaime replied "The four Genin had suspicions that Kurou was being ordered from a higher up to kill Naruto. But they didn't ask nor care who. They just wanted to hurt the boy, and from what the on duty Yamanaka was able to gleam from their minds they were going to make his death as slow and painful as possible"

"Well they won't be alive much longer"

Hiruzen nodded his head, saddened that six Ninja who had served their village with honour for years would just willingly go against his orders like they did. It was saddening that the fear and hatred for the Nine Tails could breed such dissolution. Hatred for the Kyubi had dimed through the years, but if this wasn't handled right that hatred could shoot right back up again.

"Hopefully the fate of those responsible will serve as a deterrent"

"Hopefully, but not likely"

------

The meeting was already in full swing by the time Sarutobi and Jiraiya arrived, and unlike last time every clan was represented. Fugaku once again sat on his clan's seat, smirking to himself as the Hokage entered the chamber. The entire cavern was full of low murmurings and whispers as he walked to his own chair, Jiraiya taking his place to the elderly Kages right hand side.

This did not go unnoticed by the Uchiha "Jiraiya, what are you doing here?"

The Sannin looked over at Fugaku with a smirk "Taking my seat, Fugaku-san"

All of the clans rose from their seats and bowed in respect as Hiruzen took his chair, even the Uchiha albeit hesitantly, and each took their seat when the old man himself took his. The Sandaime leaned forward, hands stapled together as he surveyed the faces of all in attendance.

"Thank you all for coming" he began "I am sure all of you are aware of the skirmish which took place last night in the Shinobi district. Five Genin and one Chunin tried to infiltrate an apartment owned by Jiraiya, attempting to assassinate one of his guests. Those Shinobi have paid for it with their lives. But I know you are all wondering why this has happened, and I will tell you. The reason was-"

"Spare your lies Hokage-sama" Fugaku spoke up from his chair "We all know why the Shinobi were sent there"

"I was not going to, as you say, lie, Fugaku-san" Hiruzen replied, untouched by the man's blatant disrespect "In fact I come before you with nothing but the truth. A week ago Jiraiya stumbled upon a skirmish taking place within our borders between a unit of Kumo ANBU and a recently made Nukenin. He saw them off and escorted the Kunoichi to Konoha to receive medical treatment. In her care was none other than Uzumaki Naruto"

There were hushed whispers among several clan heads, which were silenced by a raised hand from the Hokage "While she was receiving first aide she asked that she and Naruto be given sanctuary from Kumogakure in exchange for her becoming a member of our Shinobi ranks"

"And why should we accept some second rate Shinobi who is willing to betray her Kage for the sake of that – _boy_" Fugaku sneered, causing Sarutobi to smirk. He had already asked Yugito for permission to let her secret be known, and she agreed.

"The reason why I am considering it Fugaku-san is because the Kunoichi is none other than Nii Yugito, the Azure Cat of Kumogakure" the name creating some whisperings among the council. Almost everyone knew that name from the border skirmishes.

"A most powerful Kunoichi indeed" Shikaku whispered "But what are her terms for remaining in Konoha?"

"Surprisingly few" the elder Hokage replied, knowing he was doing well in convincing the council to join his side in the matter, if not for Naruto then for the knowledge that they would gain a powerful Shinobi if they accepted "In exchange for her loyalty she wishes that Naruto remains with her, and she be able to adopt him"

"That is absurd" Fugaku almost roared "Allow her to take care of the boy. What if she tries to poison him against us? What if this whole thing is an elaborate trap so Kumo can strike?"

"As to poisoning him against us I believe this villages behaviour to him would have done that quite well, Fugaku-san" Hiruzen replied evenly "And your accusations to her motives are quite unfounded, I have already asked a Yamanaka to probe her mind for any such deceit"

"Then he wasn't good enough!"

"Are you questioning Inoichi-sans ability?" Hiruzen asked, noticing the tensing of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio "Because I asked for him to glean her mind personally"

"Well what of the boys seal" Danzo asked, stopping the bomb before it exploded "Has it been checked to see if it has been tampered with by Kumo?"

"I have personally gone over the seal a half dozen times to make sure" Jiraiya spoke up with a smile "Minato's seal work was truly amazing, I don't think I would have come up with something so intricate on my own. The seal is still firmly in place, and is as strong as it was when it was first put on. The Kyubi isn't going anywhere"

"Be that as it may perhaps it would be best to place a security detail around the boy and his guardian" Danzo continued. He briefly cast his gaze upon Fugaku, as if insinuating something, but the fuming Uchiha barely noticed ""Protection against any other assassination attempts"

"It is already being done Danzo-san" Hiruzen answered "I have already chosen a half dozen trustworthy ANBU for the task, plus Jiraiya and his guardian"

"Of course, Hokage-sama" Danzo replied with a nod, it was time for him to put his plan into action "But perhaps it would also be prudent for the boy's training into controlling the Kyubi to begin sooner than later. Whether we like it or not he has the ability to become a powerful asset to this village under the right supervision"

Murmurings of agreement rose from all across the council table, and Danzo knew he had struck at exactly the right time. The council would never side with Fugaku, not with his cavalier actions as of late, and he also knew he couldn't completely take over Naruto's training himself. But if he could even hold some influence over the boy he could perhaps still mould him into the weapon he required.

"Oh I agree" Hiruzen replied, surprising everyone in attendance, even Danzo.

"You do" the one eyed elder replied, recovering quickly.

"Yes" the Sandaime smiled "I have already handpicked a teacher who I think is just right for the job"

"And that would be?"

"Jiraiya" Hiruzen answered, placing a hand on his apprentices broad shoulder "He knows the seal better than anyone, and his track record with training powerful Shinobi is second to none"

More whispers were heard as the council conversed, and it was obvious they were fairly positive. Jiraiya trained the Yondaime Hokage, the legendary _Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō_. There was no one else with such a track record, not even Danzo, and the old war hawk admitted that.

"So let us take this to a vote" Hiruzen said, raising to his feet "All those in favour of Uzumaki Naruto and Nii Yugito joining the village of Konohagakure no Sato"

A mass of hands came up, almost three quarters of the council, followed by a few more hesitant ones a few moments later. Only Fugaku Uchiha's hand remained down, and the man looked like he wanted to destroy something because of it. The Council of Fire did not hate Naruto. Some resented him for the beast he held. Most were uncaring. But throw something sweet into the deal, say an A-rank Shinobi, and the vote was decided.

"Thank you all for attending" Hiruzen smirked "I call this meeting to an end"

As the council began to form ranks and leave a shadow fell upon the elderly Hokage, who looked up to see Danzo towering over him. The old war hawk hesitated for a moment, then sighed and patted his shoulder as he passed.

"Well played Sarutobi" his old friend turned bitter rival conceded "Well played"

"That was easy" Jiraiya whispered lowly.

"Yes" the Hokage agreed "Almost too easy"

------

The four figures rushed from branch to branch deep within the forests of Hi no Kuni, chakra enhanced leaps making them nothing more than blurs to the surrounding wildlife. Finally after what seemed like an eternity a small clearing came up before them, and without hesitation the lead figure jumped, landing in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by his three comrades.

All four wore light gray cloaks, their heads hidden within the shadows of their hoods. The leader, characterised by his towering, muscular form even with the cloak, and the large sword strapped to his back turned to look at his three compatriots and nodded. As one they pulled back their hoods and looked around. Zabuza Momochi sighed as he looked around, noticing the lack of animal calls. The forest was quiet, almost too quiet. His comrades seemed to notice this as well.

Two others pulled back their hoods, revealing heads of spiky black hair. Kiri Shinobi hitai-ites worn to their foreheads, the plates modified with two metal horns. Each man wore gunmetal gray breathers, hiding the bottom half of their faces, yet their hard eyes were eyes of a Shinobi who had seen the horrors of war. Meizu and Gōzu were twin brothers, Chunin level Shinobi of Kiri before they joined Zabuza in his little rebellion

The fourth member was the smallest of the group, face covered by the white porcelain mask of an Oi-nin with slanted eye holes, swirling symbols around the cheeks and the Kiri symbol etched into the forehead. Hair was better kept than the twins, tied back in a bun with two long strands on either side of the face. Haku was by far the youngest at ten, but was already a capable Shinobi under the former ANBU Captain's tutelage.

For the hundredth time Zabuza went over the events which put them all in this situation. Kirigakure was falling apart at the hinges thanks to a civil war between the forces loyal to the Mizukage, and the Bloodline rebels led by Mei Terumi. The assassination of the Mizu Daimyo by his fellow swordsman Hoshigaki Kisame destabilised the nation even further.

Zabuza could tell that something was wrong with the Mizukage, and had made plans to try and overthrow him and take the title of Kage for himself. He had gathered a small but elite force for that purpose. The Kiri swordsman had hoped to initiate a quick and bloodless coup d'état, and then try and negotiate with Mei for a ceasefire. Gain her loyalty by returning clan status to the bloodline families and making her his successor. The woman may be stubborn, but she was also intelligent enough to see a good deal.

The Mizukage had been tipped off. Zabuza and his small taskforce had been lead into a trap set by half the ANBU corps. He gained a small satisfaction that he killed the traitor himself, but it was a hollow victory compared to the loss of sixteen fellow Shinobi whom he considered friends. In the end he was forced to withdraw, and run from Kirigakure with half of the villages Oi-nin corps mercilessly on their tail. They had lost them after entering Kaminari no Kuni.

"How far away are we from Konoha?" he asked.

"Roughly three days at normal pace, Zabuza-sama" Haku replied.

The former Swordsman nodded, then looked up past the canopy at the setting sun "We'll make camp here for now, normal watch pattern. We leave at first light"

His subordinates all nodded their heads, and began making up camp, the twins disappearing into the forest to search for wood and food while Haku began rummaging through the packs for sealing scrolls containing their equipment. Zabuza sat down in the centre of the clearing. A small roll of cleaning utensils out and his sword held firmly. He looked down at the blade, noticing the chips along the edges and the dried blood. The failed coup had only taken place a week ago, and during the commotion afterward he found no time to clean his blade.

None of the Ninja were aware of another figure hiding well within the shadows of the surrounding trees. A Shinobi wearing body hugging black light armour, her head mostly hidden within a cowl and mask. Only the eyes were visible, a light blue in comparison to the darkness.

* * *

_**Omake: Thunderstorm**_

If there was one thing Kaminari no Kuni was more famous for than anything else it was always thunderstorms. It was a natural and common occurrence within the valley riddled country. Every autumn cold fronts from the sea to the east would congregate with a warm current from the west over the country, forming storms of drenching rain, flashing lightning and rumbling thunder which could last for days, and on the rare occasion weeks.

Now most children from this country were so used to thunderstorms that they wouldn't even flinch. Sadly for a five year old Naruto this was a different case, being as he was born in Hi no Kuni, and thanks to his less than happy childhood there he had gained an unhealthy fear of thunderstorms.

He was sitting upright, holding on tightly to a small stuffed fox, looking out the window of his room to see the rain beating mercilessly against the glass. His quilt wrapped around him like a cocoon. The storm had been going on for two days straight, and he had been too afraid to even go outside. His big sister Samui had noticed this, and kept him company until a C-rank mission came up.

A stab of lightning caught his attention, making him flinch, and then a loud growl of thunder made him burry his face into his fluffy red fox with a yelp. He buried himself in his quilt as another roar of thunder assaulted his senses. It was night, almost past midnight, and he had tried to ignore it, but he couldn't.

Cautiously he summoned his courage, dwindling as it was, and with only his trusty fox as company he got up from his bed and made his way to the door of his room, his little hand tracing along the wall to his door.

In the next room Yugito creaked open an almond eye, and groaned as another growl of thunder battered her ears. She wasn't afraid of a thunderstorm, that was just silly, but her sensitive ears hated the sounds. Grabbing a pillow the seventeen year old covered her face with it, trying to filter out the continuous noise.

A creak of a door opening was just noticed, and a voice, small and scared filtered into her ears "Mom, can I stay with you for a while?"

She raised the pillow from her head, and looked up to see Naruto by the door, tightly holding onto that little stuffed fox she bought him during the festival last month. She was about to tell him to go back to bed, but then almond eyes met sapphire. She saw the fear in them, the desperate need of someone to be there. His voice, small and pitiful shattered her resolve as he clutched onto his little toy even tighter, as if afraid of being rejected.

"I'm scared"

She sat up and smiling at him patted the side of the bed. His little face lit up for a moment, before another roar of thunder made him flinch. Without any further coaxing the little blonde rushed forward, sliding in under the covers at the bottom of her bed and crawling up beside her. Yugito lay down, put an arm around him and tried to fall asleep.

"Is that okay" she asked, gaining a small nod from the scared child.

Naruto was still scared, but as his mom wrapped her arms around him, and he copied the motion he felt something he had never felt before during the thunderstorms back in Konoha. He felt safe. He felt that in this woman's arms he would be protected. Suddenly the thunderstorm outside wasn't so frightening anymore. He was sound asleep within minutes, and looking down at him the older blonde smiled, feeling more relaxed, and was herself sound asleep a few moments later.

Samui returned early the next day, confused as to why her elder sister wasn't up at the break of dawn like she usually did. The blonde decided to check in her sister's room. She opened the door, her older siblings name on the tip of her tongue, but stopped herself at what she saw.

Yugito lay on her side, Naruto held securely in her arms. Both blondes were fast asleep, and looked happy and relaxed if the small smiles were any indication. Samui smiled slightly, before silently closing the door behind her to go and make breakfast.

Maybe she could give them a few more minutes.

* * *

_**Glossary**_

Shinobi - Ninja

Genin – Low Ninja

Chunin – Middle Ninja

Jonin – High Ninja

Sannin – Three Ninja

Nukenin – Missing Ninja

Oinin – Hunter Ninja

Doujutsu – Eye Techniques

Hi no Kuni – Land of Fire

Kaminari no Kuni – Land of Lightning

Mizu no Kuni – Land of Water

Kirigakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Mist

Konohagakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Leaves

Kumogakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Clouds

Hokage – Fire Shadow

Mizukage – Water Shadow

Sandaime – Third

Yondaime – Fourth

Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō – Konoha's Yellow Flash

Jinchuriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice

Biju – Tailed Beast

Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Monster Cat

Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox

Kekkei Kenkei – Bloodline Limit

Sharingan – Pinwheel Eye

Doton: Yomi Numa – Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique

Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Summoning Technique

Rasengan – Spiralling Sphere

* * *

_**It's amazing what you can find in stories you tried to write but either gave up on or forgot about. This whole assassination thing was cannibalised from another story I tried to write but gave up on. It was about what would have happened if Jiraiya took Naruto away from Konoha after he was born to train him.**_

_**If anyone is wondering what Fugaku is planning then my advice is to be patient, a lot of people would think that he would jump the gun if he found out about Naruto but I don't believe that the head of a powerful clan is that stupid.**_

_**As for the Omake, it was just a silly little idea I had and decided to write about, really sappy but that was what I was looking for. Had my sister read it so I believe I got the whole thing down right. **_


	8. Chapter 7: First Impressions

_**Chapter 7**_

**_First Impressions_**

"Now are you sure you have everything?"

Naruto sighed as Yugito continued to make a fuss, and decided to check himself over just to stop her from worrying. He wore a simple pair of dark green khaki pants with a dark amber shirt (Yugito didn't like orange, but he insisted, so they compromised) and a dark green jacket. A kunai holster was tied around his right leg and a black duffle bag for his books was slung over his shoulder.

"Yeah mom, I got everything." he said with another sigh. The two of them were walking through the crowded streets of Konoha towards the academy where he would begin his training as a Shinobi. In his opinion it was sort of a waste of time. He knew all the techniques they taught. But Yugito insisted. She said that he needed to learn about Konoha, its history, its culture, its geography, its Shinobi system.

"House keys?"

"Yes."

"Kunai holster?"

"Yes"

"All of your books?"

"Yes"

She frowned at the name, but said it anyway "Gama-chan?"

He smirked, patting his pocket "Yes"

"Map of the academy?"

"Yes"

"Triple A-grade explosive tags?"

"Ye - what?"

She smiled teasingly "Just testing."

He frowned at her, before shaking his head "Geez."

Yugito giggled at his pout, before setting her sights ahead down the street. Ever since the assassination attempt on Naruto some three days ago things seemed to have settled down a little. Well as little as the entire population knowing of the return of the _Demon Child _could get. For a time there were fearful whispers, but after a while that too had calmed.

There had been no more assassination attempts since then, with the defeat and execution of the perpetrators the message had been received loud and clear. At least that was what she hoped. There had been no such attempts on his life since, which was a fairly good thing in her eyes.

As they walked down the street she noticed the odd cold or hateful stare levelled in Naruto's direction, but then their gaze would pass across her and they would immediately bow their head and quicken their step. It was mostly because while they were directing those stares at Naruto she was directing a rather murderous glare at them. That coming from a regular human being was usually intimidating enough, but coming from a Shinobi it could be downright terrifying. Especially if she drew upon a trace amount of the Nibi's chakra to give her eyes a malevolent glow.

Finally the academy building came into view, and without hesitation the two walked in through the front gates. Looking around Yugito saw other parents coming and going, children playing games in the courtyard, lecturers watching them from the sidelines. All in all it looked like a regular school, and if one was ignorant to the subjects taught here they would believe as such.

"Excuse me."

She turned her head at the voice in time to notice one of the lecturers walking up towards them. A fairly tall man dressed in the garb of a Chunin Shinobi, the Hatai-ite bearing the symbol of Konoha tied around his forehead. His skin was a dark tan, sharp features with a scar across the bridge of his nose and long dark brown hair, tied in a ponytail.

The man came to a stop and looked at his clipboard "Uzumaki Naruto, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Naruto replied.

"Hello Naruto, my name is Umino Iruka and I'll be your teacher in the lectures" the man introduced with a smile, before setting his gaze on her "And you're his guardian, Nii Yugito, right?"

"Yes." she replied with a slight bow, which he returned.

"No need to worry ma'am," the young Chunin smiled "I'll take him from here."

Yugito considered herself to be a pretty good judge of character, when one became a Shinobi the way she did you kind of had to be. Looking at Umino Iruka she saw no malice or wish to do any wrong to either her or Naruto.

"Alright then" she said, before ruffling her charges shock of blonde hair "I'll be by to pick you up when you're done, alright?"

"Don't worry about me mom." Naruto replied with a toothy grin "Just get going, you have a training session with Neesan right? Can't let you get too rusty."

She bonked him lightly on the head "Don't be rude."

"Sorry, sorry."

Shaking her head in bemusement she turned to the instructor again, and bowed her head "I leave him in your care, Iruka-san."

"Thank you, Yugito-san."

She gave her charge one last look before turning and walking out of the front gate. The little cub was right. She did have a training session with Yūgao today and she was very much looking forward to it. Ever since her little examination spars with Kakashi she hadn't really had much of a chance to train, what with getting Naruto prepared for the academy and all.

* * *

"Alright everyone, settle down." Iruka barked mildly as they entered the classroom.

The class went quieter, and after a moment all eyes focused on him, and he had to admit that it was a little uncomfortable. As Naruto entered the classroom at the teacher's heels he looked up, noticing that the general layout was a tiered class, with the lecturer's desk, black board and open space at the bottom, and tiers of desks going up five or six levels with a line of cupboards lining the back wall.

"Quiet down," the lecturer called out, silencing all other forms of conversation "I would like to introduce you to a new member of the class. He will be joining us late this year so I want all of you to help him alright!?" he then looked down at Naruto, and with a small smile nudged him forward "Go on, introduce yourself."

Naruto looked up at the man. Iruka-sensei was alright, he had listened too and answered all of Naruto's questions as he led him through the corridors to the classroom and answered them to the best of his ability.

"Um" he began, taking a step forward and bowing his head "My name is Uzumaki, Uzumaki Naruto – I'm eight and I just moved here."

"Thank you Naruto," Iruka said before taking a quick look through the tiered class for a spare seat "Ah, take the seat beside Hyuga Hinata."

The blonde nodded and shouldering his bag walked up the steps in the middle of the classroom. Ignoring the questioning looks as he walked by. Little did he know that there were some who were analysing him, and wondering if what little they had heard was true?

The two girl's sitting on the fourth row, one with shoulder length pink hair and the other with long blonde hair done up in a ponytail watched as the new kid walked by. The two girls, Sakura and Ino, waited until after he was out of earshot before they huddled together to whisper.

"He's pretty cute." the blonde whispered.

"Yea he ain't bad," the pinkette agreed "Not as good as Sasuke-kun though."

"Please, no one is as good as him." Ino chastised "Still I wonder what he's like."

"I heard from my mom that he was a troublemaker." Sakura whispered.

Ino snorted "Please, if we stayed away from everyone our parents didn't like then life would be boring."

A tier down a boy with raven black hair and onyx coloured eyes watched as the blonde walked to his seat, heard the murmuring of the girls behind him, rolled his eyes and set his attention back to the instructor. Uchiha Sasuke had been told by his father to stay away from the new kid, that he was dangerous, but in truth his father's warning just got the young Uchiha curious. How dangerous could someone his age really be? He supposed he would find out soon enough.

At the back of the class a round kid watched on, then turned to nudge his friend, who for all pretences appeared to be dozing off in class "Hey Shikamaru, what do you make of him?"

Nara Shikamaru raised his head a few inches, creaking open an eyebrow to look at the blonde. He watched as the boy sat down, then shrugged his head "Beats me, Chouji. We'll find out soon enough"

Akamichi Chouji looked between his best friend and the new kid, before shrugging and continuing to eat his barbecue pork flavour potato chips "Yea, you're probably right."

Completely oblivious to the conversations taking place around him the blonde took a chair and turned to look at his new neighbour. The girl in question was interesting with short dark blue hair, her pale face framed by long strands from the side of her fringe, her face was round and dainty, but the most striking feature was her eyes, whose large pupils were a soft lavender in colour.

"Hey," he whispered, watching as she looked up at him, cheeks taking on a shade of red. "Is it alright if I sit with you?"

She shied away a little, before whispering a stuttered, "Um s-s-sure."

He smiled broadly at her before taking his seat, watching as Iruka-sensei continued with the role call for a few moments before leaning over to her "So what's your name? Mine's Uzumaki Naruto."

She looked at him for a brief second "H-hinata, H-hyuga Hinata."

"Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan."

Her cheeks took on a darker shade of red, pressing her fingers together nervously "Um, n-nice t-t-to meet y-you, N-Naruto-kun."

* * *

Training ground twelve was for all intents and purposes your regular run of the mill training ground as far as Konoha was concerned. The area was cordoned off with barbed wire fences, stretched for almost fifteen square kilometres and was heavily forested with those huge, thick trunked trees that Hi no Kuni was famous for.

It was through this very training ground that she was wandering, moving to try and find that ANBU agent who had invited her to train. Yūgao Uzuki came off as a caring person in Yugito's mind, which was a strange quirk in their profession. But although she hadn't seen her fighting ability firsthand the blonde knew that she was a seasoned veteran, had to be if she was in the ANBU black ops.

"Hey," a familiar voice called, and the former Kumonin looked up to the high branches to see her partner. Yūgao was perched on one of the branches on the tree to her left, in a crouch and looking down on her with mirth in her dark eyes "You made it!"

Yugito couldn't help but smile wryly "Of course, if I'm going to be a Shinobi of this village then I'll have to keep in shape."

"That's a good outlook," her training partner smiled in response, before falling of the branch and landing in a perfect crouch. The woman was wearing her full ANBU armour, complete with a sword strapped to her back and kunai pouches tied to her thighs. She rose up and called out into the forest, surprising her "Hey you guys, you said you wanted to meet her right!? So come on out!"

Two darkened silhouettes fell from the treetops, landing in crouches barely a few meters away. Both were definitely female, she could tell by their figures. Cautiously Yugito sent a questioning look Yūgao's way, only to see the woman with a small smile "Come on you two, you wanted to meet her. It's rude to just stay where you are!"

The two newcomers looked at each other, before timidly stepping into the light. Her previous assessment was accurate. Both were women and Chunin if their attire was anything to go by. Both were similar in height, give or take a few centimetres, but that was where the similarities ended.

The one to the left had pale skin and long, flowing black hair. She was well formed, which was noticeable even though she was wearing the dark green jacket and protective Chunin vest, but the most striking feature about her was her long black hair and her eyes, which were a rare blood red, almost like the Sharingan but not quite as eerie.

The one on the left was more tomboyish in appearance, but still physically attractive. She had long dark purple hair done up in a bit of a ragged ponytail, skin was slightly tanned and eyes which seemed to be a pupil-less light brown. She too wore the dark green coveralls and Chunin vest, and like her associate she was pretty well formed, but she also wore a long tan trench-coat which stretched to her ankles.

"Yugito Nii. I would like to introduce to you Kurenai Yuhi and Anko Mitarashi, a couple of friends of mine." Yūgao introduced and Yugito bowed, might as well be civil. Kurenai, the raven black haired woman, returned the bow but the one with the purple hair, whom she decided was Anko stood there studying her for several moments, as if assessing her threat level.

"So is the kid at the academy." Yūgao asked.

"I dropped him off before coming here." Yugito replied.

"Then that leaves more fun for us," the ANBU agent nodded "I don't know about you but I've wanted to see what you can really do, and don't worry about his security, Kakashi's watching over the academy."

"That's good to know." the blonde replied. Kakashi seemed like a decent enough guy. Okay he did have his little quirks, or flaws, like reading those orange backed books in public, but after a while every Shinobi gained little edges of insanity. Some were less crazy then others. She enjoyed relieving her stress by playing her Shamisen, which she sadly had to leave behind in Kumogakure.

"I heard you were able to fight Kakashi for twenty minutes straight." Anko piped up "Is it true or just rumour?"

The Nibi Jinchuriki seemed to think about it for a moment, before smirking "It was more like thirty, but I wasn't really keeping track and I think he went easy on me."

The Kunoichi seemed to smile evilly, before producing a kunai from her trench-coat "I want to fight you first."

"Anko" Kurenai warned, but the warning seemed to fall on deaf ears as the Kunoichi vanished from view.

"Sorry about this." Yūgao said with a sigh, only to turn to see her sparring partner was already in motion, jumping back up with a chakra propelled leap to the branches above.

Yugito didn't hear Yūgao's apology, for the woman was already going through a set of hand signs. But Anko appeared before she could complete the sequence, forcing her to move her body ever so slightly to the right to avoid the kunai aimed for her heart. The blade just scrapped her upper sleeve though, and the young woman's miss was her advantage.

Or so she thought.

She barely registered the Kunoichi go through the hand seals for the snake and tiger before making a punching motion with her free hand "_Ninpo:_ _Sen'eijashu_!"

Three snakes appeared from her sleeves, ejecting along her arm before lashing out at Yugito, fanged mouths open to gauge into her flesh. The former ANBU jumped back, barely missing the attack by a couple of millimetres before retaliating by throwing the kunai she had fished out of her pouch. Anko readily dodged it, and retaliated by letting a handful of shuriken fly from her fingertips.

* * *

Naruto stretched his arms up in the air with a happy sigh, enjoying the feeling of grass under his feet and clean air entering his lungs. They had spent most of the morning sitting in that classroom listening to Iruka-sensei going through the basics of chakra control, and the knowledge that they were outside going through a sparring class was a relief to the blonde.

So far it seemed that they had four or five lecturers all teaching different classes. Iruka-sensei was their homeroom teacher and would be dealing with most of the basics including academics, mathematics, science, history and the basic Ninja arts. A guy named Mizuki-sensei was their Taijutsu and physical activity instructor. Kambei-sensei was their advanced Ninjutsu teacher. Rei-sensei was their advanced Genjutsu teacher and another guy named Shizuo-sensei was their strategy and survival lecturer.

Naruto had been excited about going to a new environment and meeting people his own age at first. While in Kumogakure his training had been focused mainly on controlling his chakra and teaching him the basic survival arts of a Shinobi. He really hadn't been forced to go through all the academic stuff. Sure he was slated to begin at the Kumo academy, but the whole incident kind of made that impossible.

He looked up at the spar taking place between two boys he didn't know, watching their sloppy movements, trying to copy the fighting techniques that Mizuki-sensei had shown them earlier on. The academy Taijutsu was pretty basic, but he had seen a few different styles since the beginning, the kids who hailed from a clan all had their own styles and moves which they wanted to show off.

He had seen Hinata-chan fight with a strange fighting art called Juken, and while her movements were as jittery and sloppy as one would expect from an eight year old he had to admit that she was pretty good at it, like she had been practising years before she entered the academy. He had talked with her during the lunch break, and at first he thought she didn't like him because of how she stuttered and how quiet she was, but his mother had taught him to look underneath the underneath.

Hinata was just a shy girl who was unsure of herself. But after a while of poking and prodding her she began to speak with him with a little more confidence, and before long they began to talk about everything and anything. He found out that her mother passed away a year ago, and it was a blow she still felt to this day.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice that the spar had ended and Mizuki-sensei was going through his list of students "Next match will be – Uchiha Sasuke vs. Uzumaki Naruto!"

A few seconds passed, but Naruto still didn't get up, finally Hinata nudged him "Ano, Naruto-kun – y-you're up."

Her voice shook him from his thoughts, and he looked over at her with a questioning look, noticing a slight red on her cheeks "Huh?"

"Come on Uzumaki, get up here." Mizuki called out impatiently.

"Oh right," Naruto replied, getting to his feet and giving off a sheepish smile "Sorry Sensei"

He looked over at his sparring partner. His black hair was spiked, his onyx eyes piercing and his stance one of boredom. Naruto suppressed a sigh. This kid, Uchiha Sasuke was it, was fairly certain he would win, and win quickly. The blonde stood and walked over to the training mat, turned and met the kids gaze unflinchingly.

"Whoohoo, go Sasuke-kun!" a blonde haired girl shouted.

"Kick his ass." another stated.

"Kyaah, he is so cool!" a pink haired girl yelled.

Six or seven girls had jumped to their feet, shouting and cheering like a bunch of rabid fan girls. This was interesting. The school term had only started about a month ago, and even though he had transferred three weeks late he wondered how so many girls could be so completely smitten by a boy they didn't know. It was probably because of his status as the youngest child of the Uchiha clan head, while Naruto and his mom were unknowns.

"Ready to lose?" Sasuke asked with a smirk, falling into a fighting style that was not the one taught at the academy. He spread his legs one in front of the other, bent his knees, reeled back his left arm and reached out with his right.

Naruto snorted, analysing his opponents every movement "That's got to be the worst fight line in existence."

The Uchiha's grin faded slightly "Do you even know who I am?"

"A name means nothing if you don't have the skills that come with it." Naruto replied, falling into the most basic of the Tora Kuroi Style, as long as he didn't show off any of the special moves or advanced forms he should be fine. Basic attack pattern, swipe and claw, block and simple takedown grapples. His words were getting through, for Sasuke looked rather annoyed.

From the side Mizuki analysed Naruto's posture and stance, and immediately knew it wasn't the basic fighting style he was teaching. It seemed that the Demon brat had picked up a few things during his little sojourn into Kumo.

"How dare he mock Sasuke-kun!"

"Make him eat the training mat Sasuke-kun!"

"Begin!"

Sasuke moved first, coming straight at Naruto at a dead run. In response Naruto took a step back, waiting to see if his opponent made any last minute changes to his trajectory. He didn't. The blonde easily blocked the straight punch, and then raised his other arm to take the follow up roundhouse kick. He was good, but the counter made Sasuke lose balance, and it was close quarters fighting like this that the Black Tiger style was made for.

Quickly Naruto rotated his hand to grip Sasuke's ankle, then brought up his other hand to get a hold of the Uchiha's leg. He spun, coming down in a crouch, and took Sasuke to the mat. The Uchiha landed hard on his back, the air forced from his lungs.

Silence reined in the training ground, even Mizuki looked at the scene in complete surprise. Then there was uproar from Sasuke's fan girls. Some like the pinkette, actually looked like they were about to use violence.

"He can't do that!"

"Yeah, he must have cheated!" another yelled.

"He did not cheat, what Naruto did was perfectly legal." The instructor frowned at them before straightening and raising his hand "Winner; Uzumaki Naruto!"

While the fan girls started to argue again some were looking at the scene in amusement. Nara Shikamaru opened his eyes with a raised brow "That was actually pretty good!"

His friend, Chouji, looked at him while eating through his bag of potato chips "You really think so?"

"Yeah" the Nara replied, leaning back on his elbows "He wasted no movements, and executed the counter perfectly."

Kiba leaned in, a smirk on his face "It's always nice to see one of those Uchiha losers get creamed. I don't know who this Naruto is, but I like him."

"You guys want to invite him over sometime?" Chouji asked.

"It's troublesome," Shikamaru replied, a lazy smile appeared on his face "But why not."

Naruto let go of his fallen opponent, and offered him his hand. The boy looked at him for a moment, before grudgingly accepting the help, pulled back to his feet "Damn that hurt," Sasuke muttered "What was that?"

"Just a few moves I picked up from my mom." Naruto replied with a shrug. It was technically true, and the best lies were always told with partial truths.

"Don't get too comfortable," Sasuke whispered hoarsely, still trying to regain his breath "I'll beat you next time!"

To his surprise Naruto smiled "Good, it would be boring if someone won all the time."

With that Naruto turned, walking back over to the crowd of students, trying his hardest to ignore the murderous stares from half the female population. Sasuke looked at the blonde's retreating back, and allowed himself a smirk.

_Looks like there's someone here who isn't a waste of space after all_

Naruto sat back down next to Hinata, who starred at him with wonder for a few moments "W-what was that?"

Naruto looked at her quizzically "What was what?"

"T-that stance, that s-style, it wasn't any of t-the Taijutsu arts from the academy."

"Oh right. It's called the Tora Kuroi. It's one of the _Wu Xing_, the five Animal Forms of Taijutsu." Naruto explained with a smile, before looking behind her and ducking his head, a sudden look of fear on his face.

Timidly Hinata turned her head to see the murderous glares of at least a half dozen of Sasuke's fan club descend upon him. Besides the situation she frowned, so what if Naruto-kun defeated the almighty Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

The great walls of Konohagakure stood out in front of them, a huge sheer face which stretched off into the horizon to their left and right. This was an imposing sight for any opposing army, so for a small taskforce of Nukenin this was nothing out of the ordinary. Konoha was enjoying a time of peace, and while they still posted guards on the towers and walkways they were going to be lax.

The four had changed from their Shinobi gear to civilian garb, hiding their weapons and their bosses' massive sword inside small scrolls, easily hidden on their persons thanks to their drab brown cloaks. They passed through the main gates without much of a problem, easily sneaking in thanks to the continuous stream of merchants, traders and tourists coming in and out of the city.

Zabuza smirked, his observation on the village's external security being well founded. When one enjoyed peace for so long it was common for the security to be so relaxed. But he also knew that looks were deceiving. The former Kiri swordsmen had felt the presences of Shinobi watching in the shadows, most likely the normal patrols and a couple of ANBU. They needed to remain on their guard.

He frowned suddenly, missing the familiar weight of his Executioners blade on his back. But took a little solace in knowing he was not alone in his discomfort. The twins were obviously unused to not wearing their breather masks and chained gauntlets, but they were adapting to the change. Haku on the other hand seemed right at home walking the streets, showing no signs of discomfort or nervousness.

The four walked through the streets with no trouble, and finding a small café took chairs and ordered food. As the waitress finished jotting down their order and walked back to the kitchens Zabuza leaned in, his three compatriots following suit.

"Right, here's the plan." He whispered, locking eyes with each of them in turn. His eyes finally fell on the youngest of their group "Haku you will search for the boy, check the academy grounds, and if you can't find him there spread out the search."

"Hai Zabuza-sama."

The swordsmen nodded, before setting his gaze on the two brothers "Meizu, Gōzu, you and me will split up and spread out. Search for the woman and wait for the opportunity to strike."

"Hai Zabuza-sama."

The food came within minutes, and the four former Kiri Shinobi dug in, eating their fill and silently toasting to their missions success before they rose and left together. They walked up the street to a crossroad and then separated, moving in different directions.

Zabuza walked quietly through the village streets, noticing a small squad of Konoha Shinobi fly across the rooftops on his right. It was not a surprise to see that the shoppers, vendors and merchants surrounding him didn't pay the passing by Ninja any mind, they were probably used to such displays.

He was not worried about the brothers, sure they were Chunin but they were capable, and had a dozen espionage missions under their belt. They knew how to melt into a crowd and not get caught. Even if they were caught he had taught them enough of his methods to remove the threat quickly.

Haku was still young, and slightly inexperienced, but the child was skilled and showed an impressive way of adapting to any situation. The pre-teen had gone on espionage missions for him for years, and was almost notoriously resourceful. He didn't worry about his apprentice either.

But there was something about this place that unnerved him, the air seemed thick with tension, not from the civilians but from the few Shinobi he had spotted. They were more alert, almost like they were expecting an attack to come at any moment.

For a fleeting second the Demon of the Mist wondered if their mission had been found out. Had their employer leaked information to Konoha to be on the lookout for them? He shook it off, if they were worried about an external threat they would have tightened the security around the main gates, peacetime or not. It had to be something else, but what?

His answer came more willingly than he was comfortable with. A small group of Konoha Shinobi could be seen at the corner of the market he had just walked through, their eyes hardening at someone's arrival at the other end. Another small group of Konoha Shinobi were walking into the square, and by their black hair and almost arrogant aura the swordsmen hazarded a guess that they were Uchiha.

The stares exchanged showed him everything, and the adage of killer intent only added to his speculation, not enough for the surrounding villagers to notice, but to a Ninja it was like a neon sign was going off. There was a dispute within the village, and it threatened to become violent.

The Demon considered this hypothesis, wondering if this would benefit the mission or hinder it.

* * *

"Damn it." Anko growled as she nursing her arm, knowing that she was going to feel it for a while.

"I tried to warn you." Kurenai said dryly as the four women walked down the streets towards the village centre.

"Shut up."

"Kurenai's right Anko," Yūgao spoke up with a smirk "Charging right in without a backup plan against a former ANBU Captain was never going to be a good idea"

Yugito walked with the group, a little to the left and lagging a step behind, watching as they bantered and talked about their training session with a familiarity born from working together for years. She felt a little like a third wheel, not knowing those present well enough to join in.

"Hey Blondie," Anko said, turning her head with a wicked smirk adorning her features. For a second Yugito thought the purple headed Kunoichi was going to try and goad her again, but was surprised "I enjoyed fighting with you. Want to join us again? Same time tomorrow"

"I don't believe it," Yūgao said, feigning disbelief "Anko Mitarashi has warmed up to a person after meeting them"

"The world is about to end"

"Ah, shut up the lot of you." Anko cried half heartedly before fixing the blonde with a grin "What do you say? Want to join us again?"

Yugito was surprised by the ready acceptance. It was never this easy to get people to warm up to her in Kumo "Ah, sure."

The woman's grin seemed to grow wider, before she strutted forward, hands holding onto the back of her head in a reminiscent gesture to certain other hyperactive person she knew. In fact she found that Anko was alike Naruto in so many ways, hyperactive, playful, boisterous, but with a quiet intelligence working in the background.

"I say we celebrate your joining our little training group with a celebration, anyone for Dango!?" Anko shouted out, raising her fist high into the air.

Kurenai shrugged "Why not."

"I'm not on duty for another hour." Yūgao added.

"What's Dango?" Yugito asked, gaining a look of pre shock from the boisterous Kunoichi.

"You're kidding right?" Anko asked half in disbelief, the other in shock "They don't have Dango in Kumo!?"

Yugito answered the question with a stupefied shake of the head.

"By the gods you can't be serious," the Kunoichi crowed "Okay then newbie, prepare to be enlightened!"

"Oh dear" Yūgao muttered with a smirk.

"Here we go again." Kurenai whispered to herself.

"Dango is food given down to us from the gods themselves," Anko began, spinning around and planting her hands around her hips, a face splitting grin on her face which forced her eyes shut as she spoke "It is by far the most delicious and nutritious food in the whole world, anyone who doesn't know of its existence must be enlightened!!!"

Yugito's gaped ever so slightly, that was almost exactly what Naruto said the first time he had dragged her to a Ramen stand. Anko noticed her disbelieving look, and raised a brow in confusion "What?"

The former Kumonin shook her head to dispel the memory, before smiling sheepishly "Nothing, it's just that you remind me of someone."

"Oh," Anko asked questioningly "Who?"

"That was exactly what Naruto said the first time he took me to a Ramen stand." Yugito explained, smiling slightly at the memory. Subconsciously Yūgao smiled as well, the kid was a little infectious with his happy go lucky attitude.

Anko however stuck up her nose, but not at Naruto's name being mentioned. She like all the others here had no real resentment towards the boy. In fact the woman could relate to the kid to a certain degree, both had been village pariahs because of something which happened that was out of their control. "Ramen's alright I suppose, but it will never beat Dango!"

"Yo."

That lazy voice was unmistakable to the three Konohanin present, and looking up they saw that their suspicions were correct. Kakashi Hatake was sitting on the top of an electric pylon pool, a certain orange book in his hand. To anyone who didn't know him it looked like he was reading; only absently noticing them.

"Always reading in the strangest of places eh Kakashi?" Yūgao smirked.

The Copynin shut his book and placed in snugly within one of his vest pockets before hopping down to the ground. He stooped over, hands in his pockets as he approached them "I need to talk to Yugito-san for a moment, is that alright?"

The blonde blinked, before nodding "Ah, sure"

"You want us to stick around?" Anko asked "Kakashi's alright but he can be a little perplexing if you don't know his habits."

"I'll be fine."

"Your funeral." Anko snorted before continuing her walk down the street.

Kurenai looked after her friend before absently shaking her head. "When it comes to Dango there's nothing in heaven or earth which can stop her. When you're done with whatever Kakashi wants the shops on the next left, called Jet's Teahouse, probably be there for a couple of hours."

"Thanks."

Yūgao smiled her way, before patting her on the shoulder and moving to catch up with her two friends. Yugito watched them go, and then turned to see Kakashi already walking in the opposite direction, his posture stooped and his hands in his pockets. The blonde frowned before walking after him.

"Weren't you supposed to watch over Naruto today?"

"I left two guys I trust." Kakashi replied with that eye-smile of his. "Don't worry he's in safe hands."

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

"Keep walking for a minute or two." Was his whispered reply, his eyes shot down the street in time to see a figure shadowing them. It was difficult to make out features considering the black cloak the person was wearing, obscuring his or her face in shadow.

They turned several times into several streets, and although this person was doing well to hide his or her presence he still noticed her, half hidden in the thinning crowds. Kakashi looked her way, and then spoke quietly "You noticed yet?"

"My senses are getting dull." Yugito frowned, before turning on Kakashi. "Wait how did you find out I was being followed?"

"I was on a rooftop reading my book," Kakashi explained "Saw you all wondering through town, and then noticed him on your tail."

"You were spying on me." She said dryly, smirking as she noticed him flinch.

"Jiraiya-sama asked me to keep an eye on you." He defended.

"The only men I know in this village are a bunch of peeping toms and perverts." She muttered dryly to herself, "Great."

"Well if I wasn't there would you have noticed your stalker?"

"Eventually," She replied.

The Copynin actually had to take a couple of deep, calming breaths and mentally count to ten before he could respond, for some reason this woman was getting under his skin "Can we talk about this later? Right now the best thing to do is to lead this little stalker of yours into a trap."

"Fine," She pouted, folding her arms under her impressive bust with a huff.

Kakashi rolled his one visible eye. Could she be any more childish? Finally he saw the turn he was looking for and changed his direction, Yugito following suit. They waited until they were a couple of meters in before launching themselves off the ground with a couple of chakra propelled leaps, landing silently on the rooftops above. The alleyway was a dead end, only ten meters leading to a high wooden fence.

They sat there, but didn't have to wait long as the figure hesitated for a moment before casually walking into the alley. He took three steps before coming to a halt, noticing the dead end and looking around. It was then that the two had their chance.

They fell from the rooftops, Kakashi landing between their stalker and the wooden fence and Yugito blocking his escape to the road. The figure looked at the Copynin, before spinning around to see the Azure Cat blocking his or her other escape route.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked; his tone no longer that of an aloof and lazy man, changing to one of merciless steel. "Why were you following her?"

The cloaked figure looked like he was about to make a move, but was too slow. Yugito's hands blurred into action, easily making the signs of the ox and the snake before slamming her hands to the ground "_Doton; Supaiku Tougoku!"_

The earth between her and their assailment began to heave, and before their foe could even move he was held immobile by a circle of jagged rock spikes, protruding from the ground around him and holding him in place. The blonde smirked before slowly closing her hands, leaving indentations in the soil. The spikes elongated by an inch, digging fractionally into the stalkers skin, making him, no her whimper slightly.

"Not a bad Jutsu." Kakashi commented with a whistle. "You've got quite a few of these immobilization techniques."

Yugito shrugged.

"Now then," The Copynin began, reaching into his pouch for a kunai. "Who are you and why were you following her?"

Yugito saw his look and closed her hands by another inch, making the sharpened tips of the spikes elongate by a couple of centimetres, nearly tearing through their assailants outer layer of clothing "Why were you following me!?"

"To," The woman, definitely a woman, tried to reply but was gasping for breath. "To – warn you – Oneesan"

"Oneesan?" she whispered, before her eyes widened slightly, quickly she dispelled the Jutsu and Kakashi watched stunned as the spikes shortened, melding seamlessly back into the earth "What are you doing here Samui?"

* * *

He looked down on the bodies of the two ANBU agents, then at the destruction wrought all around them. Kunai and shuriken were strewn across the clearing, embedded in the trees and sunken into the two men, blood trickling from their wounds and pooling on the ground.

He noticed a glint and looked down to see an ANBU mask, crafted into the visage of a thrush at his feet. Blood spattered across the white porcelain. Silently he bent down and picked it up, starring through the slanted eyeholes before turning to his subordinate. The other man, a Chunin eyed the mask for a couple of seconds, looking a little ill at what they had done.

"Any casualties?" he asked, dropping the thrush mask on the blood soaked earth.

"They made a fight out of it." The Chunin stated, his eyes drawn to the visage of the thrush. "Two of our boys are dead, another will soon follow."

"There's no turning back now." The man stated, catching the Shinobi's attention. "Do you have the headbands?"

The Chunin nodded, before producing a half dozen Hatai-ites from a satchel under his arm, tossing one to the leader. He eyed the white cloth and the three clouds adorning the metal. It was a perfect replica of the Kumo headband, so much so that no one would know if it was a fake or not.

"Good work." He said. "Pass them out among the men, tell them to hide their own headbands and wear these."

"Hai Uchiha-sama."

Uchiha Yuki smirked at the Hatai-ite, before replacing his own Konoha headband with it. This was perfect, killing two birds with one stone. They would kill the demon brat here, make it look like Kumogakure were the perpetrators. All attention would go to them, and while the Hokage was distracted the Uchiha would make their move.

When the week ended Konohagakure would be a new village under new leadership. Fugaku Uchiha would be the Godaime Hokage, and the Uchiha clan would finally get what was rightfully theirs. The reign of the Senju was over, the reign of the Uchiha was about to begin.

* * *

Back in Kumo he would usually be put through training sessions with his mother, Samui neechan or Kirabi-sensei and his students. They had taught him a great many things, mostly on how to control his chakra and how to defend himself. If it wasn't for his mom he would never have learned the basics so well, including tree walking and basic Ninjutsu. If it wasn't for Neechan he would never have progressed so well in his Taijutsu. If it wasn't for sensei and his students he would have never learned how to fight with a sword and a couple of more advanced Jutsu that they made him promise to keep secret.

Naruto missed those times, missed everyone he had befriended in Kumo, hell he even missed Raikage-sama, but mostly because when he visited the huge man would pass him sweets and teach him some basic politics. He may have gained a reputation of being short tempered and violent but to him Raikage-sama was always calm and patient.

_If you want to be a Kage someday you'll have to learn this stuff. _With those words Naruto immediately sat up straight and paid attention, and the man had laughed boisterously at the change in attitude.

He may have been born here, but this place did not hold nearly as many happy memories. When he finally convinced Kirabi-sensei, Karui-nee and Omui-nii to try ramen and got them completely addicted on the stuff. When he experienced his first Kumo thunderstorm, how Samui-neechan stayed with him and his mother let him sleep with her at night. How when he was training with her he was never afraid of being hurt, because his Kaasan would always be there to catch him.

He was thankful that his mom was still here, but he missed his Neechan, his sensei and his friends. Naruto understood why they had to leave, but suddenly moving from one place to another was a hard thing to get used too, especially a place with such bad memories. At least he had regained Jiji, which was something at least.

Classes at the academy had ended for the day and he had decided to get some training in before he went home. Thanks to Iruka-sensei he had found the academy training grounds, open to all students and teachers and set to work, going through all the basic kata's of the Tora Kuroi Taijutsu, he was still making mistakes on the second and third stances and was determined to improve.

He heard a snap and spun around, eyes darting around the lawn and the circles of trees surrounding him. Then he saw someone wondering around at the edge of the woods, looking around as if searching for something. The girl looked around his age, maybe a year of two older than him. She wore a pink kimono, adorned with flowers in blues and greens. Her hair was black and straight, reaching down to her shoulder blades, skin was smooth and eyes a dark brown. In her hands was a basket of some kind, half full with plants.

The girl crouched, reaching for some herb at the base of one of the oak trees before seemingly noticing him starring. She turned around, eyeing him for a moment before bowing her head. "Good afternoon."

"Hey." Naruto replied, a little unsure of this person. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh I'm sorry." She apologised. "I was looking for herbs for a few medicines, and this was one of the only places where I could find them."

"No it's alright." Naruto placated with a smile. "I just thought only Shinobi and students were allowed to use the training grounds."

The girl smiled disarmingly, before looking at him closely. "I saw you practising. Isn't it a little late to be out on your own?"

He looked sheepish, a silly grin on his face. "Ah, I'm just trying to get down this fighting style my mom was showing me. I'm still a little off on the second and third stances."

The girl nodded before piercing Naruto with an inquisitive stare. "What's your name?"

"You first" Naruto shot back lightly.

"You don't trust me?"

"I've just met you." Naruto shrugged.

She smiled. "Haku, my name is Haku."

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto returned, shaking her hand. Her eyes widened slightly at his name, almost in realisation, before reverting back to normal. "So what are you doing?"

"A friend of mine is sick." Haku replied as she started searching through the grass. "I'm looking for a certain herb which will ease his pain."

"Do you need any help?"

She looked at him for a moment, before smiling. "Sure, it's a blue flower with a red centre."

The two of them started to look around. Slowly searching through the grass and underbrush for the herbs she was looking for. Naruto caught on quickly, and soon began to recognise the plant Haku was looking for. "Tell me Naruto, why do you want to be a Shinobi?"

"Well my mom is a Shinobi." Naruto replied absently, peering at a small plant that looked like what they were looking for. "I guess you can say she inspired me."

"I see." Haku replied, picking another flower and depositing it into her basket. "Is that the only reason?"

"What do you mean?"

"The life of a Shinobi is a harsh one, and most don't survive long." Haku explained. "There must be another reason why you want to be a Shinobi."

The blonde was silent for a moment, before sighing. He didn't know why he was about to tell her this, but before he knew it he was talking. "I suppose there are other reasons. I want people to stop looking at me in fear. I want to become someone people look up to and count on."

"Why do people look at you in fear, Naruto-kun?" She asked with a frown.

He laughed. "People in this village just seem to either hate me or are afraid of me. I have no idea why, but they do."

Haku looked up at him, studying the boy before her intently. "So you want to be a Shinobi for power and recognition?"

"No." Naruto replied, blushing a little under Haku's gaze. "I want to be a Shinobi so I can protect those I consider precious to me."

"So you are working to become a Shinobi to protect those precious to you?"

"Yea, everything I do is to protect those I care about." Naruto explained. "If they weren't there I don't know how my life would turn out. I would have probably become the monster some people treat me as. I want to become a Shinobi to protect those who rescued me from that."

"Then you know where true strength comes from." Haku smiled, and at Naruto's curious glance verified. "The true strength of a Shinobi does not come from his strength, nor the Jutsu he or she knows. I believe a Shinobi's true strength only comes when you are protecting someone precious to you. Don't you agree, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto was now looking at her, before smiling. "Yea, I completely agree with you."

Haku rose from her sitting position, dusting herself off. "You will be strong Naruto-kun, I know it."

"Thanks."

Haku smiled, before turning to leave, but before she did she stopped and turned to face him. "Oh and by the way, I'm a boy."

Naruto looked at her, no him in shock. _No way in hell, he's prettier than any girl I've met._ "You can't be serious."

Haku laughed at his expression. "It's true."

Suddenly the boy's head darted to the left, a serious look written on his face. In a flash a trio of senbon needles flew into his hands and were thrown into the treetops. Naruto looked at him, shocked before starring at the point in the trees where the needles were thrown.

In a blur the two found themselves surrounded by five Shinobi, all wearing Konoha Chunin attire, all gripping onto kunai. The leader smirked at the two, seeing Naruto jump to his feet and wearily pull out a kunai. "Today is the day you die, demon brat!"

* * *

**_Omake: Serenade!_**

Yugito was awoken from her peaceful sleep by the sound of a continuous pounding in her ears. She awoke with a start, sitting up straight in bed and wincing as the booming noise assaulted her delicate early morning senses. It sounded a lot like a stereo player, and the abomination echoing out sounded like rap.

Slowly she rose from her bed, slipping into a nightgown as she walked across her bedroom towards the window. She opened the curtains, unlatched the locks and tapped the window open. The noise went up by several decibels, and she winced again at the loudness of the abomination.

Now it should be pointed out that Yugito hated rap music for a singular reason, and that reason was standing beside the stereo, arms folded and a monumental grin on his features, like he had just figured out an incredibly difficult riddle. At the beginning she had actually liked the stuff, and occasionally danced to tunes she liked, then her fellow Jinchuriki had found it, and within a couple of months the style had turned from her favourite relaxation ritual to her worst enemy.

The quotes didn't help much either. Honestly if he wanted to woo her he should have chosen a rap song that didn't say _'I'll make you my hoe'_ or something like that once every paragraph.

"Yu-chan," The colossal oaf shouted at the top of his lungs, so that he could be heard over his loud music box. Lights were coming on in other apartments for god's sake. "I've come to serenade you!!!"

"What!?" She shouted over the noise, as she didn't hear him.

"I said I've come to serenade you!!!" He shouted with enough torque to burst her ear drums.

Her headache was worsened when windows flew open and people shouted for him to keep quiet. She just knew that one way or another, this was going to be traced back to her, and she could not afford to lose this apartment, not with a seven year old to look after.

As he began his rap quotes Yugito disappeared into the house. Reappearing a couple of minutes later fully dressed and armed with kunai, shuriken, katana and other little trinkets meant to bring death and destruction to a target. What was worse was the kunai she held in her hands, explosive tags tied to the butts of their hilts. But what was worse still was that her eyes were a different colour, and her chakra was bursting around her with an aura of cerulean.

Kirabi looked a little pale, and as she opened her mouth, producing a fireball of pure cerulean he realised the mistake he had just made, and responded in a natural manner. "Oh fuck me!"

"Not in your life!!!" She fired the chakra enhanced fireball, finding an unnatural fascination as it exploded in a mass of azure flame, leaving a massive crater in the street.

Kirabi burst through the flames on the back of a massive bull, running away from the scene as fast as he could, laughing like a lunatic the whole time. "Hahahahaha, you're so beautiful when you're angry!"

This only served to piss her off more, and give her good reason in her mind to throw the kunai at her fellow demon host. His laughter was thankfully cut short by a huge explosion as the explosive tagged kunai hit their mark.

The next day he was in a hospital bed, covered from head to toe in bandages. His brother stood over him, arms folded and face set in a frown. "So was it worth it?"

"Oh yes." He replied with a smirk.

* * *

_**Glossary**_

Shinobi – Ninja

Kunoichi – Female Ninja

Genin – Low Ninja

Chunin – Middle Ninja

Jonin – High Ninja

Nukenin – Missing Ninja

Hokage – Fire Shadow

Raikage – Lightning Shadow

Kirigakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Mist

Konohagakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Leaves

Kumogakure no Sato – Village Hidden in the Clouds

Genjutsu – Illusionary Techniques

Kenjutsu – Sword Techniques

Ninjutsu – Ninja Techniques

Taijutsu – Physical Techniques

Tora Kuroi – Black Tiger Fighting Style

Doton; Supaiku Tougoku – Earth Release: Imprisonment Spikes

Ninpo: Sen'eijashu – Ninja Art: Striking Shadow Snake

* * *

_**Sorry to anyone for taking a little longer than normal to upload a chapter, and to everyone waiting for updates for my other two Naruto fics I'm in the middle of writing them both, and they will be out in the next week or two. **_

_**Thank you to everyone who has sent those constructive and kind reviews, especially those who say that this story deserves more, much more, you hear that silent people! Ahem anyway avert all your fears, there will be no NarutoxYugito other than the mother/son relationship, but there will be pairings, and I think some of you have already figured out who I'm pairing Yugito with. Naruto I'm not so sure who but it's something I'm working on…hmm, maybe another poll.**_


	9. Chapter 8: The Water Demon Rises

_**Chapter 12**_

_**The Water Demon Rises**_

Kakashi watched with a slightly widened eye as the figure hesitated before reaching up with almost delicate hands to remove the cowl and pull back the hood, revealing a young woman, teenager, with shoulder length sun kissed blonde hair, smooth cream coloured skin and light blue eyes. There were similarities with her and the woman standing beside her.

For all intents and purposes he was being ignored, as the young girl's gaze was focused on the other blonde. Yugito's face was a mask of barely hidden surprise and shock as she starred upon her younger sibling. "I can't believe that you would be so stupid! I did all of that to make sure that you'd be safe, that they wouldn't place the blame on you and you go and do this!"

Samui didn't even flinch under her sister's suddenly harsh glare, and added on one of her own, yet another trait that their family seemed to inherit. "What the hell did you think I was going to do! Just sit back and let all this happen? I would have followed you, helped you rescue Naruto if you gave me half the chance!"

Yugito didn't seem the least bit perturbed, instead she stalked forward so that they were face to face, "Do you even realise what that would have meant? You would have been marked as a traitor same as me. I did what I did to make sure that wouldn't happen!"

"Ahem, excuse me."

Both sisters' caste murderous glares at him, which he shrugged off. "You said that you came to warn her, warn her of what exactly?"

Samui closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath before gazing at Kakashi, taking a sideways glance at her sister every so often as she spoke. "Sakamoto has gained the services of a small group of independent Shinobi to try and kidnap Neesan and Naruto."

The name was familiar to Kakashi, and after a moment it came to him. His one visible eye widened slightly, "Sakamoto, as in Norimasa Sakamoto?"

"The one and the same,"

Kakashi inwardly cursed. He had heard of Norimasa Sakamoto. The man was the Danzo of Kumogakure. A hardliner who made his name during the Second Great Shinobi World war as one of the Hidden Clouds most infamous field commanders, making a name in repelling Iwagakure forces from the borderlands time and time again. Now he was an influential member of the Lightning Council, and Chief Scientist of the villages ANBU Science and Research Bureau.

"You have made a few influential enemies." Kakashi muttered, barely loud enough for them to hear.

"Ain't that the truth?" Yugito growled in response, hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

"So do you know who he has sent?"

Samui looked to her sister, as if for confirmation, before turning back to Kakashi, "Nukenin from Kiri, four of them, three Chunin and one Jonin with a huge sword."

The Copynin reached into one of his vests pockets, retrieving a small book, except instead of the orange one he was usually seen with this one was worn with a gray cover. Yugito recognised it as a Bingo book, and watched as he began to skip through the pages. Finally he came to what he was looking for and handed the small book to Samui. "Have a look through that and tell me who we're dealing with."

The Kumonin nodded, taking the book and skipping through the pages. "This is the guy."

Kakashi took the book, his eyes widening slightly at who he saw. "You're sure?"

"Yeah,"

"Who is it?"

Kakashi didn't reply, instead he handed her the book and let her see for herself. Yugito's eyes widened at the picture, but read the statistics all the same. Zabuza Momoichi, Jonin, a member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū, known as the Kirigakure no Kijin, a master of the silent kill, with specialties in Suitonjutsu, Kenjutsu and assassination. Shinobi is considered an A-rank opponent, approach with extreme caution.

She looked at Kakashi with fearful eyes. "We need to get Naruto."

The Copynin nodded. "The Academy should be finished by now. You two go get him. I'll alert the Hokage and assemble the ANBU black ops."

Yugito nodded before taking to the rooftops, Samui hesitating for a brief second before following. Kakashi looked around and, doing the appropriate hand signs disappeared in a swirl of leaves, using the _Shunshin no Jutsu _to increase his speed.

Yugito flew at almost breakneck speed, her sister barely able to keep pace, a maelstrom of thoughts going through her mind. She berated herself from letting Naruto out of her sight, letting her guard down like that. The Nibi host should have known that the bastard would try something like this.

"There's another reason why I'm here."

She turned her head slightly to assess her sister, who had finally managed to keep up with Yugito's furious pace. "I'm listening."

"An A-rank mission handed down to me by Raikage-sama. He wanted me to track anyone Sakamoto sends, and if possible gain intelligence specifying him as responsible for this." Yugito didn't get it. Why would the evidence be incriminating, she was a Nukenin.

"What good would that do?"

"Use your head Oneesan." Samui snapped sharply. "If I gain evidence that he is the Kiri Shinobi's employer then it would be in violation of the ceasefire agreement between Konoha and Kumo. He could plunge us into all out war with them just so he could get his _weapon._ With that knowledge Raikage-sama would take steps to keep the peace, mainly by taking Sakamoto's head."

She frowned at this. "Would that work?"

"We are not ready for a war with both Konoha and Suna." Samui replied with a frown. "And Konoha know that. To the public it would appear that Raikage-sama had no other choice, plus he's wanted to remove Sakamoto from the council for years. He'll make a show about it to not make Kumo look weak then cave in."

"Just like the Hyuga incident."

"Except this time the shoe will be on Konoha's foot."

* * *

"Kill him!"

Naruto starred at the Chunin with fear, before mentally slapping himself and ducking the thrown kunai, watching with a fearful fascination as it imbedded itself in the tree behind him. He righted himself, imbued his feet with chakra and spinning around landed his foot on the tree, running up the thick trunk, trying to ignore the thumps of kunai and shuriken stabbing into the bark.

The Chunin watched with something akin to awe, before shaking themselves from their stupor and giving chase. Two following him up the tree while another continued throwing projectiles. Naruto ran across a sturdy branch, jumped and landed on another.

"Hey boss, what do you want to do with the girl?"

Yuki looked at Haku for a moment, not noticing a handful of senbon needles in the child's hands. "Kill her, no witnesses."

Haku frowned at the man, before smiling a little. By the way her would be murderer was approaching, casual and smirking, it was obvious that he thought the child was just a regular villager. Oh how wrong could he possibly be? According to Zabuza-sama he was easily Chunin level by now. That and his other gifts made him a Shinobi whom you shouldn't underestimate.

He threw the senbon with deadly accuracy, watching as the man's eye widened before his hand swiftly rose to deflect the steel needles. By the time he had diverted the last one Haku was already finishing off a small set of hand signs. Before he could attack a small kunai shot down close by the Chunin, a tag attached to the ring.

_A paper-bomb, _He thought with a frown, then watched as the small slip exploded, covering the Chunin in a mass of gray smoke; _No, a smoke bomb._

"Run!"

He heard the boy's voice and looked up to see him jumping through the trees towards him, curled up in a ball with his arms protecting his face. Four shuriken exploded from the smoke, peppering the blondes form and sending him falling to the earth. He hit the ground hard, and Haku watched horrified as a blank stare of azure eyes met his, and blood dribbled from the boy's mouth. Then there was a puff of white smoke, and instead of looking at the body the former Kirinin was looking at a scrap of wood.

Haku starred at the lumber for a stupefied moment, before smiling softly and taking off at a run. The _Kawarimi no Jutsu_ wasn't the most flashy or advanced technique in a Shinobi's arsenal. It was an E-rank replacement technique, quite simple for even a Genin to perform. But seeing a child of eight pull of the Jutsu was a little impressive, especially in a combat situation like this. The smoke bomb wasn't a bad touch either.

He saw a shadow beside him and cranked his head a little to see the blonde, running frantically away from the scene. "What did you do to make these guys want to kill you?"

"Beats me," Naruto replied with a frown. "The red-eyes have been after me since I got here!"

A kunai zipped past them, making the two kids increase their speed. They had just passed through the metal gates of the training ground, seeing the academy buildings a hundred feet ahead of them. They were going to make it. Those thoughts were dashed when they heard someone call out the name of a fire Jutsu.

"_Katon; Kaenenjin no Jutsu"_

The two boys skidded to a halt as a line of tall flames burned through the ground in front of them, curving around until they were completely encircled by the towering mass or oranges, yellows and reds. Naruto and Haku were immediately back to back, watching as the five Chunin walked through the flames, weapons held in their hands.

"You're obviously not a civilian." The man with the red eyes said with a glare. "Who are you?"

Haku didn't answer, just starred at the Uchiha with hardened eyes, a couple of senbon flying into his hand.

"Ah well. I suppose it doesn't matter." The Uchiha smirked maliciously, raising his kunai. "Kill them!"

A gravelly voice resounded through the tree line, startling the Chunin and bringing a small smile to Haku's face. "Oh I don't think so!"

"What?"

The Uchiha turned, just in time to see a towering man blur into existence behind one of his Chunin, both hands gripping a huge sword which was prepped for a full horizontal swing. "That's my pay check!"

The massive sword cleaved through flesh and bone. The Chunin Shinobi was just able to utter a startled cry before he was sliced nearly in half at the waist, his two sides hitting the ground with a duo of meaty thumps. The surviving four blurred into motion, one came at him in a full frontal attack while the other two came at him from behind.

Zabuza didn't even move as the three Chunin imbedded their kunai into his stomach and lower back. The Kiri swordsman didn't even make a sound. One moment he was a solid form, the next he lost cohesion and fell away into a puddle of water. The three men looked down at the pool in shock, before a gravelly voice broke the silence.

"_Kirigakure no Jutsu"_

A thick mist descended, dowsing the area in thick white fog. The would be assassins immediately fell upon their Shinobi training and were back to back, kunai drawn and eyes on full alert. Zabuza burst through the mist, landing solidly on a tree branch and looked down at the battlefield. A duo of blurs signalled the arrival of the _Oni Kyōdai_, once again fully clothed in their drab gray tunics, light armour and scratched Kiri hatai-ites.

"Take care of them." The Kiri Swordsman ordered coldly, and watched as the two brothers jumped from their perch and vanished in the mist, kunai chain of their connected gauntlets glinting off the sunlight.

It wasn't long before the screaming began.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi was considered a prodigy, a genius only seen once a generation. He graduated the academy, becoming a Genin at the age of seven, activated his Sharingan eye at the age of eight, at ten he passed the Chunin exams, and now, thirteen years old he was a member of the ANBU black ops, the elite guards of the Hokage.

Even among the Uchiha, who were renowned as warriors, he was considered one of the best, and him activating his Sharingan at eight seemed to solidify this statement. Even the most skilled of the Uchiha weren't able to activate the infamous Doujutsu until they reached their teenage years. Even his best friend, Shisui, hadn't been able to activate his Sharingan until he was fourteen.

Said Uchiha was walking a little ahead of him, posture completely at ease and relaxed. Even though Shisui was five years Itachi's senior he was still considered his best friend, almost like an older brother. It was this very reason that his friend needed to die. Itachi had been given an important mission, and that mission was to wipe out the Uchiha clan before they could make their move against the village.

It was not something Itachi would enjoy doing; in fact the young prodigy was conflicted between carrying out his orders and abandoning his duty. But he knew which side he would choose. The decision was made for him ever since his participation in the Third Shinobi World War. Itachi had seen many of his peers fall to the blade, and had blood on his hands himself. Being in that god awful war traumatised Itachi, and he did not want to see such carnage on Konoha's streets.

It was either his family, or the entire village.

It was with this thought that he pushed his conflicting emotions down to the deepest recesses of his soul, and steeled himself for what he had to do. He felt the cold steel of a kunai, attached to his wrist mounted holster, and began to slowly quicken his step towards his best friend.

He didn't want to do it, by the gods he didn't. But if he was to have a chance at defeating his entire clan he needed an edge, and that edge was the Mangekyo Sharingan, and the abilities that came with it. The ultimate form of his clans Kekkei Genkei could only be attained by a great emotional stress, namely the loss of someone precious. If he was able to kill Shisui, he was able to kill anyone.

"Itachi, hold on." The boy stopped at his best friend's words, and his raised hand. The older man was looking at something to his left, face set in a frown. "That's strange. Mist this late in the afternoon, and at this time of the year?"

Itachi blinked, before turning his head in the same direction. In the distance he noticed thin wisps of mist floating up to the atmosphere and as the two paid the area more attention their ears heard other, less pleasing sounds, cutting of flesh, the piercing cries and the dull thuds. It was the sounds he had heard so many times in the field of battle

Shisui turned to Itachi. "Come on, let's go check it out."

The elder jumped to the trees before Itachi could reply, and with a silent sigh the prodigy followed suit, knowing that the longer he put it off the harder it would be. The two moved across the trees at great speed, noticing the bodies of two ANBU lying dead in a small clearing, blood pooling from their wounds. The two looked at each other, before quickening their step. Something was seriously wrong.

They landed on a sturdy branch, overlooking the mist covered expanse. The screams had stopped by now, and all that left was an eerie silence. Both looked at each other, before Shisui slammed his hands together in the hand sign of the dog and took a deep breath, infusing his chakra with the air in his lungs before unleashing a gust from his mouth. It was a low level wind based technique, called _Futon; Kaze no Hitufuki._ Not suited for combat, but designed to blow away poison smoke or thick mist.

The mist cleared, and both Uchiha's eyes widened at what they saw. The ground beneath them was littered with corpses, at least five of them all wearing the vests and uniforms of Konoha Chunin, blood spattered on the ground, weapons imbedded in the soil. It was carnage, and standing in the middle was the cause of the carnage.

Two men stood in the middle of the massacre, back to back, garbed in drab gray tunics and cloaks. Their lower faces covered by breather masks, which made them Shinobi either from Kiri or Ame. Both looked related, same hair style, same skin colour and the same manic look in their eyes.

Itachi caught movement at the edge of the forest, and turned to see two children hiding in the foliage. One seemed to be a young woman with long straight black hair, while the other was a blonde boy, roughly about eight or nine he'd say. It made sense that they were academy students. This area was made up of training fields for the use of the Shinobi academy.

"Well what do we have here?"

Both Uchiha looked up, and barely had time to evade as a huge blade spun through the air and imbedded itself in the bark of the tree they once balanced on. If they stayed there then they would have most likely been decapitated. They were definitely from the Hidden Mist. The Hidden Rain didn't utilize many Kenjutsu users, and certainly none carrying such ridiculously oversized swords.

Itachi landed on another tree branch, crouched and ready to move at a moment's notice. Absently he noticed Shisui corkscrew in midair and land on the ground, a good twenty meters away from him. The Kirinin landed on the long hilt of his sword, perfectly balanced and stared intently, first at Itachi, then at Shisui. "This is starting to get a little difficult."

"What is the meaning of this?" Shisui snarled, waving his hand along the scattered dead. "Why have you attacked our Shinobi, on our home ground at that?"

The Kiri swordsman chuckled darkly, before setting a pair of deep, dead orbs upon Shisui, the eyes of a soldier, the eyes of a killer. "These five were trying to kill my pay check. I hate it when people mess with my money."

"What are you talking about?" Itachi asked with a raised brow.

He didn't get an answer, for the swordsman was already on the move, and it was obvious that Shisui was his target. The elder Uchiha noticed this, and snatched a kunai from his pouch just in time to block the huge meat cleaver, blades scrapped, teeth gritted together as the veteran Jonin was just able to hold his ground against his larger and stronger opponent.

"Momoichi Zabuza." The big man introduced.

"The Demon of the Mist huh," Shisui replied, before introducing himself in return, it was only good manners. "Uchiha Shisui."

"Ah, the infamous Body-flicker Shisui," Zabuza chuckled, "You know you have a hefty price on your head, almost fifty million Ryo."

"Is that all?" The Uchiha smirked. "If I remember correctly you're worth twice as much."

A hail of shuriken sliced through the air, forcing the Kiri swordsmen to disengage and jump back with a chakra propelled leap. Itachi landed by Shisui's side, both young men's faces slightly obscured. "Thanks Itachi."

"Don't mention it, Senpai." When they looked up the eyes of both had turned from their normal onyx to a deep red, black tomoe spinning around the sclera as their Sharingan activated.

"You two will be the second and third Uchiha we've faced today." Zabuza smirked, bringing his sword up to lean against his shoulder. "Try and be a better challenge than that failure over there."

Shisui glared menacingly at the swordsman, while Itachi's expression remained cold and emotionless. "Itachi, get the boy and get out of here. I'll hold them off till reinforcements arrive."

"Can you hold him?" the prodigy asked.

"I've wanted to fight this guy for a long time." Shisui replied with a smirk. "Hurry up kid, get moving."

Zabuza scoffed, before pointing his executioner's blade at the blonde child. The prodigy noticed the two Chunin tense up and spinning around took off in the children's direction, knowing that the two Kirinin would be on his tail. He took full advantage, allowed the two to catch up to him, and made his move.

He jumped in a chakra propelled leap, watched as the dual bladed gauntlets stabbed through the air where he once was, grabbed each by the wrist and used the momentum to lash out with his legs, catching both square in the jaws and sending them sprawling to the ground in a heap. Itachi landed in a crouch, and broke out into a run again, watching as the blonde tensed upon his approach.

"You need to leave." Itachi said, glancing around at the downed Chunin. Shisui was already fully engaging Zabuza, trying to gain some distance to use his Ninjutsu. "Head to the academy and get help."

The child seemed surprised, as if he were expecting Itachi to do something else. "You're not going to attack me?"

Itachi frowned at the comment. "Why would I do that?"

"The other one…he had eyes the same as you." The boy explained a little meekly, weary. "He led those guys there, and tried to kill us."

Itachi's frown grew. Why would Uchiha clansmen assemble a hit squad to go after an eight year old? It made absolutely no sense.

Then he noticed the girl standing beside the blonde, and immediately his eyes narrowed in suspicion. She didn't carry herself like a civilian, or a student. Her body was poised, ready to move at a moment's notice. Almost like she was about too…

Her movements were professional and left no room for error. She was behind the kid in an instant, holding him in a light strangle hold, a senbon shooting into her free hand to be held against the boys neck. "I'm sorry," She said, and Itachi didn't doubt that she meant every word, "But Zabuza-sama wants' you alive. You, stay back!"

Itachi complied, taking a step back. His expressionless visage hiding his intrigue, first an assassination team led by an Uchiha, then these Kiri swordsmen, and now this ten year old girl. Who was this boy, and why did he have so much unwanted attention?

The blonde was surprised, but was not struggling against his captor. "Hey, what are you doing!"

"Forgive me, Naruto-kun." She said apologetically. "But I have been sent to retrieve both you and your protector."

The name didn't stick out in Itachi's mind for a few moments, and then everything flew rapidly into place, Naruto, as in Uzumaki Naruto. Itachi was too young to remember the Kyubi no Yoko, being only five at the time, and so didn't know about the sealing until after he became a Jonin. When a Shinobi became a member of the ANBU black ops they were made privy to a lot of sensitive information. Now it all made sense, but why was he here? Didn't he disappear four years ago during the Hyuga incident? Itachi mussed over these thoughts, before storing them for a later time.

To his credit the blonde wasn't panicking, even though the senbon needle was held so close to his throat. "It's a shame, Haku. In another life you and I would have probably been friends."

Haku smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun."

"Don't be," the blonde replied, before offering her a sad smile, "You haven't caught me yet."

Itachi and Haku looked on in surprise as the boy seemed to explode in a mass of white smoke, being replaced by a lump of wood. Unconsciously Itachi's eyes widened. Wondering when the boy was able to substitute himself with the tattered timber. Obviously the girl wasn't expecting an eight year old to be able to pull it off, and it was too the prodigy's advantage as he blurred through a set of seals and placed his thumb and index fingers against his mouth, shaped like a circle.

"_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_"

A stream of flame exploded from his mouth, morphing into a large ball of crimson flames. The last he saw of the young Shinobi was her surprised gaze as the fireball consumed her. For a moment Itachi considered if he had just won their little exchange. He was wrong.

"_Hyōton: Kokyuu Gyouaisu" _

Itachi became aware of an extreme drop in temperature, and then watched in mild interest as the fireball was encompassed by a shell of ice, nullifying his fire and sending the now harmless ball to the ground, smashing like a pane of glass. An ice release Jutsu, now there's something you don't see every day.

"Tell me." Itachi asked. He had heard of a clan of ice wielding Shinobi in Kirigakure, and that they were mostly wiped out by the bloodline purges. "Are you a member of the Setsuko clan?"

The girl wasn't listening, and Itachi was forced to draw a kunai in time to deflect a trio of needles sent in his direction. The girl was well trained, each of those senbon were aimed for a certain point on his body, namely his neck.

* * *

The academy was empty as the two sisters made their appearance, somersaulting over the wall and landing in crouches. Yugito scanned the empty playground, looking for any sign of life. She wasn't surprised to find the place deserted, school had ended for the day. She looked over at her sister and exchanged a nod before taking off in a chakra propelled dash towards the building.

They traversed the playground within seconds and turned a corner, only for Yugito to nearly collide with an instructor. She skidded to a halt, barely a few feet from him. It was the young man she met earlier, Iruka if she remembered. Her sudden appearance startled the man, who had been engrossed in a purple covered book, but he recovered quickly, taking in her dishevelled form.

"Yugito-san?" He asked in slight surprise, before looking between her and Samui, eyes widening slightly when he saw the Kumo headband on her left forearm.

"Iruka-san," Yugito began, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Where is Naruto? Have you seen him?"

Iruka frowned, "Uh, let's see…he said he was going to look around the training fields before he went home. What's wrong…and who's this?"

"No time," Yugito replied, "Naruto's in danger."

The man's suspicion melted into a serious façade, "Come on, I know the training fields well enough."

The man snapped his book shut, and spun around, taking off at a run towards the training fields. Yugito and Samui hesitated for only a second before following. She noticed Iruka caste a glance at her sister once or twice. "Iruka-san, this is Samui, my sister. Samui, this is Iruka, one of Naruto's lecturers."

"Nice to meet you," Samui acknowledged half heartedly as they continued to run, passing through a set of gates.

"Likewise," Iruka replied, once again focusing on the road. "So what owes us the pleasure of a Kumonin within the village?"

"To save my little brother," Was all Samui replied, before shooting ahead of her sister and the Chunin, eyes straight ahead and unyielding. Iruka was just barely able to notice those cold eyes widen in recognition, before she skidded to a halt. The lecturer copied the motion, as did Yugito.

Naruto arrived out from the trees, looking completely disoriented. He saw them, recognised the elder blonde immediately and ran up to her, babbling almost incoherently. "Mom, big trouble…Chunin, led by a guy with Sharingan, attacked me, Kirinin came, killed them, two more with Sharingan eyes!"

Yugito knelt down, gripping the panicking child with enough force to get his attention, his azure eyes bored into hers, scared, terrified. "Naruto, sweetie, calm down and start over. What's wrong, what happened?"

Naruto closed his eyes, taking several deep, cleansing breaths before he opened them again to look at his mother figure. He began to recite his story to her one more time, this time more serious and reserved as he tried to tell them the whole story. He told her of his meeting with Haku, the attempt on his life by a small group of Chunin, Kirinin interfering, the short battle that followed, the arrival of two more Uchiha and their different approach to him.

By the end of his story he noticed hardness in his mother's eyes, and it was around this time he realised Samui and Iruka were with her as well. She looked into his eyes, voice soft yet carrying with it steel which could not be denied, "Which way?"

He pointed a finger further down the pathway, and sure enough she saw the vanishing wisps of mist, the small plumes of black smoke, and through her hypersensitive ears she caught the clan of steel. Eye narrowing she didn't even turn when she spoke to the instructor. "Iruka-san, Samui, take Naruto back to the academy. Kakashi-san should arrive with a unit of ANBU any time now."

Iruka nodded in agreement, Samui frowned but also nodded her head. Together the two turned around and took off back towards the academy buildings. Naruto followed a second later. Sure he was worried, but he knew just how deadly she could be when she put her mind to it. With a brave smile to placate him she spun around and took off into the heart of the battlefield.

* * *

Zabuza growled in annoyance as he swung his blade, watching as his opponent vanished in a swirl of leaves and reappeared just out of his swords reach. The rumours about this man were well founded. Shisui Uchiha had perfected the Body Flicker to the point where he didn't even need hand seals to use it.

His opponent reappeared in a back leap, hands already throwing a couple of kunai. The Kiri swordsman's moves were fluent, simply placing his blade over him to take the knives, which clanged harmlessly off his Executioners blade. Zabuza then stepped forward, swinging his sword in a steep arc to slice the Uchiha in midair. Shisui brought all of his weight back, flipping over the slicing sword and corkscrewing, landing in a crouch, the seals for a midlevel fire Jutsu just completed.

"_Katon: __Karyūdan!"_

A stream of fire flew from the Uchiha's mouth, the flames splitting into six smaller comets in midflight. The bullets struck their target, only for the swordsman's form to explode and fall to the ground as steam and water.

Shisui cursed at not realising it was a Mizu Bunshin, before a slight whoosh caught his attention. The elder Uchiha jumped high, performing a backward somersault. He felt the blade just graze his jacket before he completed the flip and landed on the soil. The follow up heel kick caught him off guard, sending the Body Flicker flying back and landing hard on the ground, skidding to a halt.

Itachi, now fighting a battle against three different opponents looked over at his best friend fearfully, but could not help. He turned, back stepping another lash from one of the brother's armed gauntlets and sidestepped a spike of ice as it lanced over him. He could take any of them one on one, even two on one, but three on one was a little difficult.

Their attack strategy was effective. The two Demon Brothers attacked him continuously too keep him on the back foot while the girl, Haku, lashed out at him with mid and long range ice projectiles. It was only with his Sharingan activated that he was able to divine the brother's movements, as well as keep track of the ices trajectory, and dodge.

Itachi sidestepped and corkscrewed, skidding to a halt in a small puddle of water. He cursed as Haku whispered an incantation and slammed her hands on the ground. The water at his feet became a shell of ice, immobilizing him. He looked up, eyes wide as the two Kirinin reached out for him with their clawed gauntlets.

A blur of motion caught his attention, and he watched as a woman jumped high between him and his assailants. A roundhouse kick took out the one on his left, and then she straightened her body and spun, bringing her foot into the side of the one on the right. Both fell back from the force of the blow, landing in two heaps.

He got a good look at her as she landed in a crouch, back turned to him. Her form was curvaceous yet sleek, with long pale blonde hair done up in a long ponytail. She wore black Shinobi attire with dark purple trim, and from what he could see her skin was fair. The woman turned to face him, her features accented by full lips, and almond eyes, slightly slanted. He guessed she was five or six years his senior.

Her voice, silky yet with a sense of annoyance caught his attention. "What are you doing boy, free yourself!"

Itachi frowned, before concentrating chakra into his feet and breaking the ice. By now the two Chunin were getting back to their feet, and the ice Shinobi was preparing a large bombardment of ice spears from the surrounding water.

He felt a mass of gazes looking down upon him from the trees, punctuated by the unmistakable voice of Hatake Kakashi. "Alright, I think we're about done here."

Itachi looked up to see Hatake standing tall and imposing, arms folded across his chest. Alongside him on surrounding branches were no less than twenty members of the white masked ANBU Black Ops, fully garbed and ready for battle. Against such an amassed force the Kirinin had no chance of victory.

The gravelly voice of Momoichi broke the suddenly tense silence. "Hmm, it seems we're outmatched, time to go."

Before anyone could stop him his form became transparent and fell away, followed by his three subordinates. The entire entourage of Konohanin could only look on in annoyance as the Mizu Bunshin lost cohesion.

"They must have swapped themselves with those clones when they called up that mist." Shisui growled, "This whole fight has been a diversion."

Yugito had a sinking feeling in her gut, and almost instinctively spun around.

* * *

Naruto was embraced in a warm hug before he knew what hit him, the weight almost sending him careening to the ground. He looked up, eyes widening slightly in recognition when he recognised his Nee-chan. Samui had fallen to her knees, hugging him tightly. Her voice filtered through, a little shaky.

"Hi otōto, missed you."

Naruto's eyes softened and he returned her embrace, burying his face into her chest and closing his eyes. It was his big sister, his big sister was here. "I missed you too Oneechan."

He felt her entire form shake, and looked up to see that she was crying. She choked back a sob, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should have been there. I should have gone with her."

He let her hold him and breathed in the scent of Sakura blossoms. It was her, it was really her. He felt her body convulse as a great sob escaped her. "Ne, ne come on Oneechan. Don't cry."

Iruka sat across from them, smiling softly at the touching reunion. She was that older sister Naruto told him about. Suddenly he heard approaching footsteps, and darted his head to the side to see who was coming. His eyes widened, there, standing but a few meters away from them was a huge mammoth of a man, dressed in the dark blue colours of a Kiri Shinobi, a huge sword strapped to his back and a mass of bandages covering the lower half of his face.

"Well isn't this touching?" Zabuza said, his voice carrying just a hint of mirth. "I'm sorry to break it up, but the boy is coming with me."

Iruka jumped to his feet and slammed his hands together in the seal of the dog. His chakra lashed out, activating the explosive tags he had placed hidden in the soil. The bombs went off with a series of explosions and a mass of black smoke, obscuring the Kirinin from view. Iruka turned to Samui, wiping her tears, already rising to her feet and shouted out a single word. "Go!"

But there was nowhere to go to, they were completely surrounded. Two darkened silhouettes were positioned on the roof of the academy above them, and as the smoke cleared they saw that the Kirinin was unharmed by the trap, a younger Shinobi, dressed in a faded blue yukata with a porcelain mask stood beside him. The leader chuckled darkly, before reaching up with his hand to grip the hilt of his huge butcher's knife of a sword. "Not bad, but not good enough."

The smaller Ninja's head suddenly darted to the left, looking back to the huge steel gates which led to the training grounds. "Zabuza-sama,"

"I know, I felt it too," The swordsman replied, eyes not leaving the three in front of him. "Means nothing, we just get this kid and kill these two."

Samui's hands were already blurring through a set of seals, but she was forced to abort when the two brothers fell from the rooftop, jumping to the side to miss a bladed gauntlet which hit the ground with a thunderous crash. The Kumonin fished into her pouch, throwing a trio of kunai right at the two, who raised their gauntlets in time to block the knives.

Iruka rushed, grabbing Naruto in midstride and making a break for open ground. The swordsman was faster though, and came in swinging his huge sword with relative ease. The blade cut straight through the Chunin, seemingly cutting him in half at the chest. But he was just able to substitute both himself and Naruto for a park bench barely three meters away and the Executioners blade cut through heavy oak instead of flesh and bone.

The lecturer grabbed one of his kunai, just in time to deflect a senbon needle aimed for his jugular, but was too slow to block the one aimed for his right shoulder. The needle imbedded itself into flesh, hitting a cluster point and turning his whole limb numb. He gritted his teeth, and almost dropped the eight year old.

"Sensei," He ignored Naruto's worried voice and grabbed a kunai from his satchel, holding it in a backward grip as he watched the swordsman roar towards him, sword held at the ready for a diagonal swing. There was no way to dodge it, and Samui was too far away to be of any help. Naruto began to struggle and broke free from his teacher's weak grasp. He landed on his feet, stretched out his hands and stood his ground as the Nukenin approached.

Zabuza skidded to a halt, sword stopping just a millimetre from the child's form. Iruka fell to his knees, hacking and coughing, there was poison on the tips of the senbon. Samui had been slammed into a wall. The claws of a gauntlet stuck into her midsection and a kunai knife held against her throat. The blades of the gauntlet were coated in the same poison, and blood was staining her gray shirt.

"If I go with you," Naruto said, his eyes not leaving the dark orbs of the infamous Demon of the Mist, "Will you let them go?"

By now Iruka had completely collapsed, barely conscious enough to hear the words of an eight year old child pleading for their lives. How could an eight year old be so unafraid against someone like this man? Zabuza looked down at him for a moment, curious, and then he threw his head back and laughed. "For a kid you have some balls! Haku, give them the antidote and leave them where they lie."

The masked Shinobi nodded, before producing a duo of vials of clear liquid from his yukata. He knelt beside a barely conscious Samui first and made her drink, before approaching Iruka and kneeling beside him. The Ninja pushed him onto his back, and pulled the cork from the vial. Iruka glared at him, but relented and let him pour the antidote into his mouth. "When you recover it might be best to take this girl to the hospital, even without the poison she has still been badly injured."

Haku stepped back, flanking Naruto who looked at Iruka and smiled weakly, "Look after Oneechan, Sensei."

Zabuza grabbed him and in a blur they all vanished in a mass of swirling water, Kirigakure's version of the Shunshin no Jutsu. Iruka watched the spot where they once stood. He saw Naruto's eyes. They weren't the eyes of a defiant prisoner. They were the eyes of a terrified child. He must have been scared out of his mind.

It took only thirty seconds for reinforcements to arrive, but in those thirty seconds an experienced Shinobi could get through Konoha, over the walls and fifty meters into the surrounding woodland. Yugito was the first to arrive. She saw Iruka, kneeling over Samui's prone form, and one look into his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

Naruto was gone.

* * *

_**Don't you have People for this? Pt I**_

"Hey Jiji, can I ask you something?"

Sarutobi looked up from his small bundle of paperwork, and smiled at the little blonde sitting in the chair across from him. Naruto was reading, or trying to read a couple of the recently signed forms he was working through, a frown on his eight year old features. "Of course Naruto, what's the matter?"

"Um, why do you do this crap?"He asked.

Sarutobi sighed, waving a hand across the bundle of papers on his desk, and the meter high piles on either side he still had to go through before the day was out. "I don't like it anymore than you do Naruto, but as Hokage it is my duty to make decisions for the betterment of the vil-"

"No no Jiji, you misunderstand me." Naruto cut in lightly with a childish flailing of hands, almost throwing the couple of papers he had been examining to the floor. "I didn't ask _why _you were doing this crap. I asked why _you _were doing this crap."

It took the tired Kage a moment for the question to filter into his oxygen deprived brain, but when it did he looked at the little Uzumaki, and recently adopted Nii closely. "Come again?"

Naruto took a couple of random papers from the pile, "Why should the Hokage care that Jett's Teahouse wants a permit to redecorate their interior? Why should the Hokage be informed if the transportation guild lost a crate of Nami Sushi on their way to Konoha? Why should the Hokage care that Ichimaru Shrimp wants to sell a new type of, well, shrimp? My point Jiji is this. Don't you have people to do these things for you?"

Hiruzen had an explanation on the tip of his tongue, but stopped. For the first time in years the Sandaime actually read the details of five forms, and found that none of them were important enough. After a few more minutes of reading he found that of the next fifty forms he was about to mindlessly agree to there was only one or two that should be deemed worthy of his attention. If he remembered correctly there was supposed to be a couple of people who were supposed to sort through these files.

Naruto watched curiously as the old man reached into his desk, extracted a pipe and matches, lit the pipe and took a long puff. A moment of silence passed, the only movement in the small office being the rings of smoke floating from the old man's pipe. Slowly Sarutobi extracted his pipe from his mouth, took a deep breath and roared, "Nemu!"

The woman almost tripped through the front door, caught herself and stood to attention, a grimace on her face, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage wrote a quick note, gave it to her and told her to move all of the paperwork down to the lower levels. The woman starred down at him, before looking at Naruto, then back at him. Then the young Yamanaka grinned, getting over her initial shock that the dozen people hanging around the lower levels of the tower sleeping and molesting women had a purpose. She nodded and with a short bow flew out of the office as fast as she could to get a trolley.

A half hour passed, and the Hokage looked around his office in awe. Where once there were small mountains of paperwork touching the ceiling there were now wide open spaces. Was his office always this big? He looked down at the small collection of paperwork on his desk; about as thick as a small novel, back at Naruto, then back at the paperwork again. The elderly Hokage felt something building in his gut, and he felt compelled to release it.

"Heh heh heh,"

"Jiji?"

"Ha ha ha,"

"Hey old man, you feeling alright?"

"HAHAHA!"

"Um, okay old man, now you're scaring me."

"MWHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Naruto starred at his Grandfather figure with a mixture of fascination and fear as the old man broke out into a series of uncontrollable, almost downright evil laughter. The blonde did what he felt was best, and edged his way out of the office.

* * *

_**Glossary**_

_Shinobi – Ninja_

_Chunin – Middle Ninja_

_Jonin – High Ninja_

_Kirinin – Mist Ninja_

_Konohanin – Leaf ninja_

_Kumonin – Cloud Ninja_

_Nukenin – Missing Ninja_

_Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū – Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist_

_Kirigakure no Kijin – Demon of the Hidden Mist_

_Oni Kyōdai – Demon Brothers_

_Doujutsu – Eye Techniques_

_Kenjutsu – Sword Techniques_

_Suitonjutsu – Water Techniques_

_Sharingan – Pinwheel Eyes_

_Futon; Kaze no Hitufuki – Wind Release: Gust of Wind_

_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu – Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique_

_Katon; Kaenenjin no Jutsu – Fire Release: Ring of Fire Technique_

_Katon: __Karyūdan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Missile_

_Kawarimi no Jutsu – Substitution Technique_

_Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hidden Mist Technique_

_Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – Water Clone Technique_

_Hyōton: Kokyuu Gyouaisu – Ice Release: Freezing Ice Breath_

_Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique

* * *

_

_**Okay folks another day another update, sorry it took so long but I had a few important details to sort out. First was the completion and handing in of my coursework to the University, which included a model, 3,000 word essay, a review from my employer, and a million work forms which I should have filled out months ago.**_

_**Anyway I would like to thank everyone for reviewing and offering me their support and reviews. It really does mean a lot to me. As for the pairings, well, I'm not giving even the tiniest bit away. It would ruin the story for you if I just randomly gave small plot details like these.**_

_**As for the Omake, it was an idea I got from reading yet another Naruto fanfic, called **__**Perfection: Naruto the Chimera**__** by Thanathos. It is a really good fic, and anyone who hasn't read it yet really should. It should be pointed out that his version of the scene is a hundred times better than mine, in my opinion, but then again it is a two part Omake **_


	10. Chapter 9: Division Within the Ranks

_**Chapter 9**_

_**Division within the ranks**_

Yugito stood awkwardly in the hospital room, eyes glancing at the spotless white walls, through the open window and back to the still form lying in the bed. Samui looked pale, eyes closed; pale blonde hair seemed drained of colour. The white sheets of the hospital bed reached up to her neck, covering her body.

She stood stock still, unable to even discern what she was supposed to do. Her baby sister, who she promised to protect when she was little, was lying in a hospital bed, poisons slowly being neutralised by the anti-toxins of the antidote. The medics said that she would recover, but that still didn't cure the waves of guilt.

Finally she moved, fell to her knees and took her sisters limp hand in hers. She leaned forward, burying her face in her sister's hand. She shouldn't have gone running into the fight. She should have stayed behind, guarded her charge, and if she had then this whole scenario wouldn't have happened.

She forced all of her guilt and feelings of failure to the back of her mind, "I'm going to get him back. I promise."

Taking a deep, cleansing breath she rose to her feet, shook her head, and brought her hands together in a basic set of seals. Yugito's entire form was suddenly covered in static, lances of electricity covering her frame before she vanished in a puff of smoke, courtesy of a _Shunshin no Jutsu. _

She reappeared in the courtyard, looking around her in awe. No less than fifty Shinobi had gathered in the courtyard, all either wearing the specialised garb of the ANBU or the vests of Jonin. Yugito was surprised that the Sandaime was able to gather so many Ninja so quickly.

"He was kidnapped barely a half hour ago," Sarutobi spoke with conviction, "So they couldn't have gone far. It is hereby an S-ranked retrieval mission. Bring the boy back alive, the rest you can do as you like. Is that clear!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" they all roared in unison.

The aging Kage nodded, before sweeping his hand before him. All fifty ANBU and Jonin exploded into motion, becoming nothing more than blurs as they disappeared over the rooftops of buildings to the expanse beyond.

Only a handful of figures remained. She saw Kakashi and the two Uchiha, Shisui and Itachi. Yugito kept a wary eye on them as she approached. The two Uchiha hadn't done anything to broker her mistrust, but after her run in with their clan head she was just cautious with them on principle.

"Ah, Yugito-san," the Hokage greeted with a nod, "How is your sister?"

"She is recovering Hokage-sama. Thank you for asking."

The old man nodded, before turning to talk to them as a group. "As you are all aware Naruto has been taken captive by A-ranked criminal Momoichi Zabuza and his group of Nukenin. I have called you all here because I am going to place you all in a team."

"I move faster alone." Yugito growled, already taking a couple of steps away from the group.

"You do not know the terrain as we do Nii-san." Shisui stated simply, ignoring her glare.

"Individually you are all deadly Shinobi," Sarutobi broke in before an argument could begin. "But together you are perhaps the deadliest group of Shinobi this side of the continent. Kakashi can summon a pack of dogs to pick up their trail. Itachi and Shisui each possess advanced Sharingan, and you know enough about Naruto to pick up any trail he leaves."

She couldn't refute his choice, as much as it pained her to admit it. It was Itachi who asked the question. "When do we leave?"

"Immediately," Kakashi replied.

* * *

Kakashi bit down on his thumb with enough force to draw blood, coating his other fingers in the life fluid before making the hand signs of the boar, dog, bird, monkey and ram. He slammed his hand into the ground, circles of runes engraving themselves on the rock. An explosion of smoke, followed by a chorus of barks and growls signalled the arrival of his summons. Eight Nindogs of different breeds stood before them, barking continuously.

"Hey Kakashi," Yugito looked up to the source of the deep, gravelly voice to see a pug, a small dog with a Konoha Hatai-ite on his forehead and a blue jacket on his back. "What do you need us for?"

The Copynin stood, taking the small jacket from Yugito and presenting it before the small pack of Ninken. "They took Naruto. Follow this scent, and when you find them relay the information back to me. Got it?"

They all nodded, barking ceased. As one they bent in, sniffing the small orange jacket in his grip. "We got it Kakashi, they won't escape us!"

"Glad to hear it," the Copynin replied with a smile which curved his eyes. "Now scatter!"

They did scatter, vanishing in eight blurs of motion into the surrounding trees.

"Okay," Kakashi said as he stood and patted his slacks, "Now all we have to do is…um, what are you doing?"

Yugito looked at him pointedly, but finished her last hand sign and slammed her bloodied hand into the ground, circles of runes stretching across the dirt, "Lending a hand."

There was an explosion of white smoke, followed by a deep, throaty growl. It seemed like an eternity before the smoke cleared, showing her summons to her new team. Kakashi's eyes widened slightly at the site. There were three of them. Their bodies were long, sleek and agile, fur as black as night and eyes which shone a beautiful light blue in the low light. Panthers, she had summoned a trio of fully grown Panthers.

The three of them advanced, looking up at the four humans with an unnatural intelligence in their eyes. Then they looked at Yugito and the middle one spoke. "Hey, it's Nee-chan."

"Burakku, Kuroi and Kuro," Yugito smiled at seeing them, "Hey guys."

The Konoha-nin visibly relaxed when she crouched and scratched behind the ears of the central Panther, Kuroi. The creature purring in elation, then pounced on top of her, licking her face in greeting. Yugito fell on her back; stifling a giggle as all three Panthers crowded around her and greeted her in a similar fashion.

"Where have you been?" the one on the right, Kuro, asked.

"You don't phone, you don't write. I was starting to think you forgot about us." The one on the left, Burakku, added. They were all male by their voices. "Mom's been getting sulky because you don't visit no more."

"Sorry guys," she apologised, "But I've run into a problem. It's Naruto."

They stopped, seeing the seriousness of her features. This apparently made them worry. "What about the kid? Is he alright?"

She shook her head, and presented them with the jacket, Naruto's jacket. "He's been kidnapped. I need you guys to follow the trail and report back to me. Do not engage the Shinobi until we arrive."

"Are they that bad?"

"Yes,"

The three looked at each other, and then leaned forward to pick up the scent. It wasn't like they needed it. They always kept Naruto company when Yugito or Samui couldn't be there. The three of them had all but adopted him into their little sup-pack as a foster brother.

"Don't worry Nee-chan," Kuroi growled, "We'll get him back."

She smiled, "I know you will. There's a group of Nindogs helping in the pursuit, so no eating okay?"

"Pfft," Burakku snorted, "Ninken don't taste all that good anyway."

"Alright then," Yugito rose to her feet, "Step to it." They were gone in a trio of black blurs, taking to the rooftops with enough speed to rival Kakashi's Ninken.

"What do you mean by 'no eating'?"

Before the blonde could respond there was barking in the air, drowned out by a throaty felines roar a few seconds later. Both the Ninken and the Panthers had picked up the trail. Yugito and Kakashi looked at each other for a moment, before the Copynin's one visible eye curled up, "I win."

Yugito frowned at him, before breaking out in a bemused smirk, "Only by a second."

"Three and a half actually," Kakashi clarified as he took to the trees, leaving the blonde and the two Uchiha behind.

Yugito growled low in her throat, before taking off after the Ninja. Both Itachi and Shisui looked at each other for a moment, before taking off after them in a chakra propelled leap. The huge expanse of trees and ground blurred beneath their feet as the four Jonin level Shinobi dashed above the ground of the grand forest of fire country.

* * *

"Keep moving you slugs. The Konoha-nin will be right on our tail!"

They had knocked out the kid when they took him, and the child was now hung over the former swordsman's left shoulder as he flew across the high branches. His grand sword, the Executioners Blade, was sheathed with chakra to his back, unmoving even with the high speed movements.

Haku easily kept pace with his mentor, flying with enough speed to seem like a blur to any person lacking the blessing of chakra. The two Demon Brothers were right behind them, keeping an eye out for any Konoha-nin who had been sent after them. Haku knew that Konoha would send out units of Shinobi to pursue, but unless they were capable of picking up their trail they would not be able to find them.

That could be a problem. The Inuzuka clan were notorious in the Shinobi world as trackers and scouts, and if Sarutobi was able to gain Hatake Kakashi and his famous Ninken then it was an undeniable certainty that they would be chased all the way to the border, and beyond to the Land of Lightning if they were determined enough. Then there were the rumours of the Azure Cat herself, that she could summon some sort of big cat, and big cats usually had keen senses of smell and hearing.

What was worse was the proposed meeting place. Based in the Land of Fangs, the small abandoned village chosen for the rendezvous point was the perfect place for an ambush. Dozens of Shinobi could hide in the ruined buildings surrounding the central village square.

Then there was the employer himself. He did not like Norimasa, nor did he trust him. The man was old, easily in his late sixties to early seventies, and a Shinobi didn't make it to that age unless certain conditions were met. Many of which were only met with the deaths of all of his rivals and enemies.

He knew that Norimasa Sakamoto would not live up to his side of the bargain. Zabuza-sama, Haku and the brothers were witnesses to Sakamoto's plans. Haku fully expected the old Kumo Commander to back out of the deal, and kill them for their trouble. It was obvious the old man was doing this not for the current Raikage, but to prepare for a coup d'état with a battle ready Naruto as his centrepiece. Such a thing could possibly take years, but the old man definitely had the patience.

He increased his speed until he came side by side with his mentor and master. Zabuza flew at full speed, seemingly completely unaware of his younger associate's presence. That was the farthest thing from the truth, Zabuza knew he was there. He just needed to sort through his own thoughts before he recognised his student.

"What is it Haku?"

The ice wielder pursed his lips for a moment, "Norimasa will not follow through with his promise. You know that."

It took a while for the former swordsman to respond, "I do."

"Then why are you going through with this?" Haku was near desperate to know. If they cancelled the contract then they would be hunted by Kumo as well as Kiri. That he could live with, but if they failed they would be hunted by Konoha as well. Even if they succeeded they would be swapping being hunted by Kumo to being hunted by the most powerful of the five Ninja Villages. "Norimasa will have half his clan in that village, and Konoha will be right behind us with several units of ANBU black ops-"

He stopped there, and really thought on his words for a handful of heartbeats. Then it dawned on him. "Oh."

"Right on the money," Zabuza nodded his head. "I'm no fool, I know for a fact that Norimasa and the current Raikage hate each other, and that this op was done without his knowledge or consent. If word reaches him of a battle taking place at the border between Konoha Shinobi and the Norimasa clan he will either declare a new border war or capitulate and give them the old bastards head."

Haku digested this information for a moment, "And the boy?"

"We give him back to the Konohanin once this is done, and hope they're in a giving mood."

"This is a very risky plan Zabuza-sama."

"You don't get what you want without a little risk involved my boy."

* * *

"Six full ANBU squads have been dispatched to give chase, and every settlement to the border has been placed on level two alerts."

Hiruzen nodded his head, before giving his secretary a smile. "Thank you Nemu, give me full updates of anything new."

"Of course Hokage-sama," Nemu replied with a nod, but she lingered for a moment, eyeing the Sandaime worriedly. "He is going to be alright, isn't he?"

The old man took a puff of his lit pipe, "I cannot say my dear, I hope so but that's all I can do."

The young Yamanaka Chūnin nodded her head, before walking out the door to her desk. Sarutobi knew that being around Naruto these past few weeks had really changed her opinion of him, from the host to the Nine Tails to a normal child.

Hiruzen sat back in his chair, and closed his eyes. If the Nukenin were able to make it too the border then all hell would break lose. He wasn't sure how Kumo would react to an intrusion in the border lands. As long as they didn't enter their territory outright then they could do nothing more than send him a formal complaint with the usual threats.

Then there was sending Yugito herself into the fray. It had been a spur of the moment decision, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop her from going. She wasn't one of his Shinobi, at least not yet, and he couldn't order her. But something began to worry him. What if she was a spy from Kumo all along? What if this whole thing was a ploy to gain intelligence on Konoha's strengths and weaknesses?

The aging Hokage breathed out a mouthful of tobacco smoke, and sent a silent prayer that everything would work out.

* * *

The village wasn't anything spectacular, just a small border settlement with a population of around two hundred men and women. It was a small collection of huts and wooden buildings, the highest being simply two stories. A simple wooden wall was erected around the settlement with ditches dug around it for defensive purposes. It wouldn't be enough to stop a unit of seasoned Shinobi, but most border villages had this setup for nothing more than peace of mind.

What worried Zabuza was that there was no one within the village, not a single person. The small settlement was nothing more than a ghost town, yet there were no obvious signs of battle. No bodies on the ground, no blood, any discarded weapons and very little if any damage to the structures. It was almost as if the whole population had just upped and disappeared.

They entered through the main gate, which was ominously left open. There were no guards at the checkpoint, and no signs of life. The quiet was making the veteran Shinobi uneasy. "Gozu, Meizu, rooftops."

The Demon Brothers nodded their head before vanishing in blurs of motion, reappearing on the wooden rooftops and continuing on at the same sedate pace as the two below them. Naruto was still unconscious, bound and held under the Kirigakure no Kaijin's left arm. Haku flanked his right, senbon ready to be released.

Finally they reached the centre of the village, a simple square where one would usually expect a market of shops and stands to be. The place was barren, save for the six men standing in the centre. They were all obviously Ninja of Kumogakure by their Hidden Cloud headbands and white armoured Shinobi vests, at least Chūnin with a couple of Jōnin overseers. Standing in the middle of this small honour guard was the old man himself, also dressed in full Shinobi attire, headband worn over his forehead.

"Do you have the boy?" Sakamoto called from across the square.

"Do you have the cash?"

The old man nodded to one of his subordinates, this one carrying a black case. He brought it up, undid the restraints and opened it up to show that it was full of ryō notes. The Kirinin wasn't sure, but he guessed that the full sum was within that one black case. Norimasa nodded again, and the Jōnin closed the briefcase.

"Now give me the boy!"

Zabuza and Haku began to walk into the square, fully aware that the brothers were watching them, and just as aware of the additional ten Kumonin hiding on the rooftops at the other end of the square. They stopped within five steps of the six Kumonin, where Zabuza nodded to the case. "Simple exchange, I takes the case, you get the boy."

Norimasa nodded his head, before taking a step to the side to allow the Shinobi forward with the case. He handed it to Zabuza, who quickly took it and undid the clasps, opening the briefcase to inspect the money before nodding to Haku, who placed Naruto on the ground between the two Shinobi contingents.

The same Shinobi bent over to pick the comatose boy up off the ground. "Alright, if that is all then we'll be on our way."

Both Zabuza and Haku turned in unison, only to see a kunai whip past their heads, imbedding itself into the ground at his feet. Norimasa spoke without remorse or emotion. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that. Now that we have the child we need to tie up any loose ends, and you're considered one such loose end."

"Oh, is that a fact." Zabuza asked, turning to find all six men drawing kunai and shuriken from their thigh holsters. "You might want to take a step back, Norimasa."

"And why is that?"

"Because several units of Konoha ANBU were right on our tail last time I checked." The Kiri Swordsmen replied as he reached for the huge meat cleaver sheathed to his back. "And they should be here right about… now."

A storm of kunai and shuriken fell from the sky, and the Shinobi in the square were quick to react. Norimasa and his kinsmen ducked and jumped back to one side of the square, Zabuza and Haku went in the opposite direction, but not before the swordsmen slammed the flat of his sword into the Kumonin's face, sending him falling back. The Kirigakure no Kaijin grabbed the boy and jumped away with a chakra propelled leap, skidding to a halt at the other end of the clearing. Smoke bombs were going off in the square now, disorienting the Kumonin more.

A cold blade was held against his throat, just enough to prick his toughened skin, and he turned to come face to face with the Copynin himself. Kakashi's one visible eye was glaring daggers at the Kirigakure no Kaijin. "Hello Zabuza."

"Kakashi, what a surprise," the swordsmen said with calm serenity he shouldn't have had. Another blade found itself on the other side of his throat, and the Kirinin saw the elder blonde demon host glaring at him. The Kirinin heard a growl, and looked down to see a trio of black furred Panthers encircling him, pale blue orbs eyeing him cautiously.

"I'll be taking him back," she growled, carefully taking the eight year old in her free arm.

"Be my guest, I was about to return him to you anyway."

"Yugito, get him out of here. A squad of ANBU will escort the two of you back to the village." Kakashi ordered. "We'll take care of things here."

Nii hesitated for a moment, kunai shaking slightly in her grip, but after a moment the jinchūriki nodded her head before taking off with a chakra propelled leap, her three Panthers flanking her as she took to the rooftops with Naruto in her arms. She didn't even spare Norimasa or any of his henchmen a glance as she left. Kakashi saw a Kumonin make a chase after them, but was quickly stopped as an ANBU fired a handful of flaming shuriken in his direction.

"Well this is a surprise." Kakashi turned his head to see Norimasa a few meters away from them, glaring at both the Kaijin and the Copynin. "I expected Konoha to respond, but I didn't expect them to send the infamous Hatake Kakashi."

"Norimasa Sakamoto," Kakashi greeted coolly. "Did you really believe that we'd just let you kidnap him a second time?"

"Hmm, I suppose not." Sakamoto clicked his tongue in response. "I must admit Zabuza I underestimated you, thought you were a simple grunt who liked getting over his head."

"What can I say?" the Demon of the Hidden Mist replied with a shrug. "I'm good at reading people."

An explosion symbolised that the fight was beginning to get out of hand. It was a three way brawl between the Konohanin and Kumonin with the Nukenin stuck in the middle. Norimasa's men had taken to the rooftops in an attempt to drive off the enemy Shinobi. It was a lost cause though, the Konohanin had them outnumbered at least two to one.

"You may want to leave Sakamoto-san." Kakashi interjected, well aware that three more ANBU agents fell from their perches, flanking the Copynin with weapons drawn. "We don't want another incident, now do we?"

The Chief of the Science and Research Bureau grit his teeth. "What makes you think I'll withdraw young pup?"

"Simple, what you are doing isn't cleared by either the Council of Lightning or the Raikage, and I think he would be less than pleased when he finds out that you've started a war with us without his consent." Kakashi explained. "Neither Kumo nor Konoha are ready for another round of border disputes, would you agree with me?"

"I suppose not. Very well, I'll withdraw. Now call off your dogs."

Kakashi nodded and raised his hand, immediately the ANBU under his command ceased firing, followed closely by Norimasa's kinsmen. "One question, what happened to the villagers?"

"Oh not to worry about them, they're safe and sound, locked up in the village hall over there." the Kumo commander replied as he turned to leave, but stopped to caste a glare upon Zabuza. "I am a man with a long memory Momoichi Zabuza, just remember that I will catch up with you one day, and that day will be the day you die."

He and his men vanished in a mass of blurs, leaving behind over twenty Konoha ANBU, and four captured Nukenin. Itachi was beside Kakashi in an instant, looking at him with onyx eyes. "He will try this again you know."

Zabuza gave a chuckle, gaining their attention. "I wouldn't be so sure about that… if I may?"

Kakashi eyed him wearily for a moment, before nodding his head. Zabuza reached down with his hand and pulled up his sleeveless shirt, revealing a circular creation of black runes and seals. The Copynin studied them idly, before his eyes widened. "That's a listening seal. Someone else heard the entire conversation."

"Much more than that," the Kaijin replied.

"Who were you working for?"

The Nukenin chuckled. "You have to ask?"

* * *

Uchiha Itachi sat on his perch, observing the village below. Like the Kumonin said the villagers were all imprisoned in the village hall, several ANBU were herding the traumatised men, women and children into the sunlight. They were scared, and a few of them were sporting cuts and bruises, but other than that they all seemed fine.

News also reached them that both jinchūriki had been successfully escorted back to the village, and were being kept under watch by a full unit of ANBU while a couple of the Hokage's personal physicians looked them over. The mission seemed to be an unbridled success. The boy had been retrieved with minimal casualties, no one had died or been killed, though a few had received mild injuries.

The mission had been a success, but why did he feel like he had failed. The mission had kept his mind away from more worrying things. He still had another, more sinister mission to accomplish. He had to wipe out the clan before the clan irreversibly destroyed Konoha. He was a Shinobi of the village. His loyalty lay undeniably with them. The people he would be killing were another matter. He would be killing his mother, his father, his baby brother, his best friend, his lover.

He was so into his thoughts that he didn't notice Shisui until the elder Uchiha tapped him on the shoulder. Itachi's instincts took over and he instinctively threw a punch in that direction, only for Shisui to block it with an open hand. "Wow Itachi, you seem to be pretty deep in thought there."

"Sorry, Shisui," the younger apologised.

"What are you so forlorn about?" the Body Flicker asked with a smile. "We got the mission done, and the kids back in safe hands."

"Yes, it is a day for celebration." Itachi replied, once again looking out into space.

Shisui looked at him for what seemed like an eternity, before looking out over the small village. The two friends were silent for what seemed like an eternity before Shisui decided to speak. "Is something else on your mind Shisui, something about the clan and the village maybe?"

Itachi looked over at his friend, able to keep his face perfectly neutral. "I don't know what you mean?"

"Do not take me for a fool, Itachi." Shisui said nonchalantly. "I know a lot more about what's going on than many people think."

This time the younger Uchiha couldn't help the slight widening of his eyes, but Shisui didn't seem to notice, still looking over the small village. "What if I told you that the clan wasn't as united in this endeavour than the village thinks, and many of the younger Shinobi are utterly against the councils… way of thinking."

Itachi remained quiet for a moment, studying his best friend for any sign of a trap. "Suppose I believe you, suppose I'm not alone in my opinions of this… predicament. How will we advance from here?"

"I need you to contact the Hokage, tell him that the Uchiha will take care of this by ourselves. By daybreak tomorrow morning the council should be deposed, once that happens our new clan head will appear in the Hokage's office and tell him that the danger has passed." Shisui didn't look at Itachi as he spoke. "We need you Itachi, the loyalists outnumber us by at least three to one, and if things get ugly we may need all of the big guns we can get, and that includes ANBU."

"Now many of you are there, and who?"

"There's at least fifty of us, as for who well I can't tell you, not until the operation begins. Do you understand?"

"You're planning this soon."

"Tonight, my friend," Shisui answered, locking eyes with the strongest of the Uchiha. "If we do this right then by tomorrow morning the war will be over before it even begins. Many lives will be lost from both us and the village if we don't act soon."

Itachi was deep in thought, "I will need to bring the Hokage up to speed if I'm to be able to assemble the ANBU needed to back you."

"Then do it. Fill the Hokage in on the details, but let him know that time is of the essence. Your father and the elders will be moving soon, by the end of the week at most." There was no lie in the elder Uchiha's eyes, if anything there was sadness in his gaze. "We need to move now, now or never."

* * *

The Kirinin had dosed him with a strong tranquiliser, which was lucky, considering that he would eventually wake. Yugito leaned against the wall at the other side of the small hospital room, her dark orbs watching the child she now considered a son. In one day she had almost lost him, both him and Samui. They were all she had left in the world, and she didn't know what she would be able to do if they weren't there.

For the hundredth time the Azure Cat made herself go over everything she had done in the last month, wondering if she had made the right decision. Naruto had nearly ended up in Norimasa's hands, even though she had done all this to avoid just that. Samui had left the village and followed her, getting herself hurt in the process. Konoha seemed to be a more dangerous place than Kumo could ever be.

Did she regret her decision? The only good news of this whole fiasco was that the worst case had not happened. Samui didn't die from the poison. Naruto hadn't been handed over to the man who would turn him into a mindless, emotionless killing machine. There was still the Uchiha thought, but even then there seemed to be a few who didn't want to kill them on sight, in fact two of them had helped retrieve him.

"He's going to be alright you know."

She turned to see Samui by the open door. She still looked pale and tired, but she was awake and walking about, with a couple of ANBU guards watching her mind you. "You shouldn't be out of bed, you're not invincible you know."

"I know," the younger Nii replied as she walked across the room and took a seat beside Naruto's bed, watching him for a few moments before speaking. "Why didn't you take me with you, Onee-chan?"

She looked across the room at her little sister. There was no anger in her words, no bitterness, just sadness. Like she had just found out that the one she cherished the most didn't trust her. "I did what I did because I didn't want to get you involved. I wanted you to be happy, and I didn't want you to become a traitor to the village like I was going to be."

"Naruto is my little brother too." Samui replied, looking over at her with a weak smile. "You two are my family, and I wish that you would have taken me with you. But now we are two Shinobi of different villages, and I hope that we never meet on the battlefield."

"You're going back?"

She nodded, "You were told the mission. My part in it is done and I've been asked to return to Kumogakure to give my report."

Yugito nodded her head. She had been given a full brief in what had occurred, and she didn't know whether she was surprised or angry, Zabuza and his team being double agents hired by the Raikage to help incriminate Norimasa and his contemporaries, and sending Samui to unwittingly help them on their mission. She was angry at the Raikage for using Naruto like he did, but she was also relieved that it ended the way it did. With the evidence the Raikage could remove Sakamoto from the council and even imprison him for conspiracy to start a war neither side were ready for.

They would never need to worry about Norimasa ever again.

She was brought from her reverie as she heard Naruto stir, and looked over with relief when he opened his azure eyes. The young child blinked a few times, before looking around the room owlishly, settling on Samui, then on Yugito. "Samui Nee, Mom… what happened?"

Samui smiled thankfully, and watched as Yugito stood stock still, looking at her little boy with a trembling lip. He was there, and he was alright. She walked over to him with a purpose and enveloped him in a strong embrace, planting a kiss atop his blond spikes. "It's all going to be okay Naruto. It's going to be alright."

Naruto's little hands reached up to return her embrace, gripping onto her arms and burying his face into her chest. He was completely unaware that his mom was crying. Tears slipping from her orbs as she gently stroked his hair.

Somehow everything that happened to them didn't seem all that important anymore.

* * *

Sarutobi looked at the two Uchiha, his eyes completely serious as they finished their report. To say he was surprised that the clan was so divided was an understatement, maybe a few being against the councils schemes was possible, but a quarter of their Shinobi forces being not only against their movements but willing to plan a coup d'état to stop them was beyond his wildest imagination.

"I see," Sarutobi said as he took a puff of his pipe. He found he was smoking a lot more than he would have liked these days. "How reliable is this information."

Shusui stiffened slightly, but nodded his head. "It is completely reliable Hokage-sama. There are roughly fifty of us, and while we are loyal to the clan we believe going to war against our own village is perhaps the biggest military blunder in the history of Hi no Kuni. Besides myself there are a few of the older Shinobi who agree with this course of action."

Hiruzen nodded, before turning to Itachi. "Do you think the loyalists will be ready to move?"

"I do, Hokage-sama. Shisui is my best friend, he taught me a great deal of what I know." He looked to his friend with a nod. "I trust him with my life."

"And there is no other option?"

"You have exhausted all other forms of diplomacy Hokage-sama." Itachi reminded. "And my father is hell bent on this. He will have his war, even if he destroys both the clan and the village in the process."

"There are a few conditions we would like to make, Hokage-sama." Shisui spoke up suddenly, surprising Itachi. The Sandaime looked at the elder Uchiha with a weary gaze, but gave his permission to speak.

"We will deal with the council personally, and any Shinobi who do not see reason will likewise be dealt with." Shisui explained. "Our terms are that the civilian population is not to be harmed in any way, shape or form. They have nothing to do with this unpleasant business. The second condition is that we want our old estate back and our basic clan rights restored. I don't know how you think we were involved with the Kyubi incident, but we were not."

"And do you want these conditions met immediately?" Hiruzen asked with a frown, only to be surprised when the young man shook his head.

"Not right away no," Shisui explained. "I understand that you will not trust us once this night is out. So we will prove to you that we are worthy of our old estate and rights. We are willing to wait until your faith in our clan is restored before moving forward."

Hiruzen smiled, pleasantly surprised. "Very well, I will trust in Itachi's judgement in this matter. One hundred ANBU will be filtered into position to assist in your assault. We will be ready by dusk today."

Shisui nodded his head, and bowed lightly. "Thank you, Sandaime-sama."

"I also have a question to put to you, Shisui-san. Who is your leader?"

"I cannot divulge that information for their safety, not until the deed is done. You will meet with our leader by dawn tomorrow, when the word is given that the storm has passed."

Hiruzen nodded, "How will we know who is a loyalist?"

"My people will wear specialised blank white masks with the symbol of the leaf etched onto their foreheads." Shisui explained.

"Very well, I will have the ANBU keep an eye out." Hiruzen looked at both men. "Dismissed, go and do what you have to do, and be safe."

Both nodded, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

* * *

_**Don't you have people for this? Pt II**_

Katsu just woke up from a refreshing snooze when the hot little blonde Yamanaka entered with a trolley, full to the brim with paperwork. A few of his colleagues looked up from their card-game to send a few whistles and catcalls her way. Katsu straitened himself. It was rare for the Hokage's secretary to come down here. Still, the woman was hot, and since his desk was the closest, she headed to him. He made a grab for her firm backside, but she slapped his hand away.

She gave him a cold glare before pointing at the trolley, "Work."

Katsu snorted. She had apparently been demoted, which explained her lousy mood, and didn't know how things worked. "Send it up to the Hokage sweetie."

He saw her lips slowly curl upwards into a vicious smile. "Guess where it's coming from asshole."

The room suddenly grew so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. Katsu blinked in shock. He must have misheard the woman. Yeah, that was it. There was no way she said what he think she said, right?

"What?" he croaked.

The woman's smile slowly grew. "The Hokage looked over his work, and found that most of the stuff wasn't nearly important enough for his attention, so he sent it back. Oh, and he told me to read a notice to you all."

Nemu was grinning like a feral predator as she pulled out a sheet of paper and cleared her throat.

"_By order of the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, all members of this office are to show your dossiers that hold your daily notes and personally give detailed information on the work you've done so far today. You are also to give detailed reports on the work you've done the last few years, which will be scrutinised and officially confirmed. Also, if it turns out that one or more parties have not done their work for any amount of time, they are to return their pay for the particular timeframe. Failure to do so will lead to confiscation of private property, such as house, land, personal belongings, furniture and so on. Should the confiscated items not be enough to cover the debt, the involved party will work the debt off by volunteering fifty percent of his monthly pay check until debt is fully repaid. After the sum is paid back, should it be necessary, the parties involved in such an action will be trialled for fraud, stealing from the village, treason, abuse of power, and other charges that may vary according to circumstance. Signed Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato."_

"I wouldn't try anything funny, the Hokage was very, very angry. Not that I blame him if he really was doing all the work for years. Just in case it interests you, a full squad of ANBU has used the time I've spent talking to take a look at your workstations. Also, as long as this goes on, you may be observed to keep anyone from trying something stupid, like leaving the country or cutting their wrists. By the way, the Hokage expects that pile to be done by the end of today. If he did such piles daily, then ten people should easily be able to do so, don't you think? Have a nice day." She looked up at Katsu with a smile too serene for this situation.

With that, she left.

Katsu couldn't believe it. His entire existence had just crashed. He looked around. He saw the decorations they had done to the place. He saw the poker-game, saw the cigar-filled ashtrays, saw the nine pool tables, saw the bar, saw the freaking swimming pool. They had turned the office into a lounge, even used the money for several extensions, and if that bitch had told the truth and something in her smile told him she had, then it wouldn't do them any good even if they managed to make it look like a normal office.

God, their dossiers.

They had either not used them, or in worse cases used them as diaries for their more fun days. He remembered Shiro writing a detailed diary entry about a threesome he had with some girls he met in a bar, on that pool-table, in almost criminal detail. He himself had been using his dossier to compile a list of alcoholic beverages he was smuggling to Nami no Kuni. For the love of god they were planning a trip to the capital for a barhopping venture with the village's money, it was all in Noboru's fucking dossier.

Katsu understood one thing.

They.

Were.

Royally.

Screwed.

At that point Noboru, the office drunk, came stumbling back into the office/lounge, dead drunk, barely standing and back from the bathroom. For a second, Katsu thought he heard a snicker, and suspected they were already being watched. The man looked into the grimaces on their faces. "Whutimish?"

Nobody answered.

Meanwhile Nemu had just arrived back at the Hokage's office in time to hear the old man finally lose it. He was laughing like one of those villains from a Saturday morning cartoon show. She didn't care. This was one of the happiest working days in her life. Nemu heard a creek, and looked up to see Naruto edge his way out of the office.

She stood and walked around her desk until she was standing right in front of him. "Excuse me."

When he turned around she smiled, and coming down to her knees enveloped him in a hug. "You are the greatest little boy I have ever met; if you ever need anything just give me a shout, okay?"

"Um, okay, thanks Onee-chan." Naruto had absolutely no idea what was going on, but was happy with the surprise hug.

* * *

_**Glossary**_

_Shinobi – Ninja_

_Genin – Low Ninja_

_Chūnin – Journeyman Ninja_

_Jōnin – High Ninja_

_Hokage – Fire Shadow_

_Raikage – Lightning Shadow_

_Kirinin – Mist Ninja_

_Konohanin – Leaf Ninja_

_Kumonin – Cloud Ninja_

_Ninken - Ninja Dogs_

_Nukenin – Missing Ninja_

_Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū – Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist_

_Kirigakure no Kijin – Demon of the Hidden Mist_

_Oni Kyōdai – Demon Brothers_

_Sharingan – Pinwheel Eyes_

_Jinchūriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice_

_Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Monster Cat_

_Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox

* * *

_

_**Author's Note 1 – **_Naruto, all of the characters and locations are all the property of Masashi Kishimoto, I make no profit from this venture.

_**Author's Note 2 – **_Okay so I was slacking off in one of my classes and decided to read Azure Cat, Crimson Fox. I realised I hadn't updated since the beginning of summer and decided to do something about it. I started this morning and my eyes are bloody killing me, so now I'm going to shut off and go to bed, lol. Hope you all enjoyed this, and sorry if some of it seemed a little bit rushed.

_**Author's Note 3 – **_We are nearing the end of Act 1 of this little story, and the results of how I think the Uchiha massacre/revolt should have happened are about to be known. I just feel that Kishimoto are vilifying the entire clan, and a lot of us, including me, are doing the exact same thing. So I decided to jump off the bandwagon, so to speak.

_**Author's Note 4 – **_The Omake is part II of Don't you have people for this? And like last time it was based off a scene from Perfection: Naruto the Chimera by Thanathos. It was one of the funniest scenes I had ever read in a Naruto story, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of people.


	11. Chapter 10 : Revolution

_**Chapter 10**_

_**Revolution**_

The village was bathed in the dim lights of street lamps, casting shadows to every nook and cranny. Houses were darkened as their occupants had since chosen to retire for the night. The streets, so full of life during the daytime were now lifeless and deserted with only the odd late night walker present. It seemed like a regular night in the Hidden Village, were it not for the terrible silence, not even the crickets in the surrounding forest were chirping. It was almost deafening to the young prodigies ears.

Itachi rushed across the rooftops of the village in a blur of speed and motion, barely perceivable to anyone as he stealthily moved through the shadows of twilight towards his destination. The only sound he was aware of was the rapid, numberless taps against the roof slate and the pounding of his own heart in his chest.

Behind him were another twenty Shinobi of the Hidden Village of Konoha, all wearing the familiar dark body armour and white animal masks of the Leaf's elite ANBU division, many had Ninja-to slung to their backs as well as weapon holsters strapped to their thighs. Their white masks caught the dim light, giving their usually playful visages a more malevolent air. Itachi knew that his own visage of a raven was no different.

They were ready for war, and Itachi was leading them to that war.

But first they needed to hook up with their supposed allies in the training grounds of his clan. Shisui had been adamant that the ANBU and Uchiha loyalists assemble there before going onto the offensive, to proceed with formulating a plan of attack against the separatist assembly point. Nagging doubts assaulted the young prodigies mind, was Shisui just leading them into a trap? Was this whole thing a setup to lure the Village into making the first move?

He shook off these doubts as the last house flew by under his feet. Ahead was a flat plain of concrete leading to a two meter tall barbed wire fence, and beyond that was the Uchiha training grounds, several hectares of forest and grassland where the clans own Shinobi trained in their special techniques in complete secrecy.

Itachi pumped chakra into his legs and the soles of his feet before jumping high, well over the barbed wire fence and into the huge trees beyond. The ANBU platoon behind him kept stride with little effort, for Shinobi of such skill and experience jumping a high fence was not an obstacle. They continued to hop from branch to branch until they were well within the training fields, and finally the young platoon leader fell to the ground, followed by five of his subordinates while the rest remained in the cover of darkness.

He looked around and whistled a simple note which could have easily been mistaken for the whistle of a Fire Thrush. A moment passed, and that moment of silence was the most deafening the youngster had ever heard, then a reply came in the form of another whistle. A single figure rose from the dense foliage, dressed in the attire of a Konoha Jōnin, black pants and jacket with a leaf green armored vest, a plain white mask adorned his face.

"Fire," he spoke, Shisui.

"Leaf," Itachi replied.

"The will of fire will forever burn," Shisui said the next line.

"And the leaf will forever flutter." Itachi finished with a nod.

"Is your side ready?" Shisui asked as he took a few steps forward. The ANBU tensed, but relaxed when their leader stopped them with a simple raise of his hand.

"Eighty ANBU are on standby, waiting for the word," he walked forward until the two of them were at arm's length. "What's the word?"

"Worse than we feared," Shisui answered with a sigh. "The dissidents have assembled outside of Naka shrine, and the council is deliberating whether to strike now or not. Seems that little assassination attempt on the jinchūriki wasn't sanctioned by them and it's forced their hand."

Itachi frowned but nodded, "Then we best hurry before they make a move."

"Indeed," Itachi replied before he turned around and whistled, another tune well known to a Fire Thrush. A moment passed before a return whistle was heard and figures rose from the foliage, twelve of them, wearing the same attire of Konoha Jōnin and Chūnin with white masks over their faces, ten men and two women. "The rest are waiting for us."

"What's the plan of attack?" Itachi asked.

Shisui eyed him for a moment before turning his head slightly to the group, "Midori!"

One of the women came forward, removing a scroll from the folds of her vest and presenting it to Shisui, who gladly took it from her slender fingers. She then looked at Itachi's surprised features and moved to undo the clasps holding her mask in place. Under the mask was a round shaped face, haloed by shoulder length black hair, onyx eyes glanced at him and a nervous smile spread across her lips as she spoke. "You look nervous Itachi."

"As do you, Midori." Itachi replied, before bowing his head. "I'm glad you're with us."

She blushed slightly at his words before replacing the mask. Uchiha Midori was a distant cousin, two years older than him at fifteen. The two had been childhood friends for as far back as he could remember, and had been in an arranged marriage by their parents when he was six and she was eight. His mother had demanded they at least get to know each other before doing anything, of which he was thankful. She was strong, passionate and stubborn as a mule at times, but she was a loyal friend who would protect those she held dear, rare in this time and age.

Shisui was grinning behind his mask, Itachi just knew it. "You two can do whatever you want later on, for now let's get this over and done with."

Both nodded, Itachi raised his hand, Shisui copied the motion and in a matter of moments the twenty ANBU and thirteen Uchiha took the branches in a flurry of blurs, moving to their objectives. Itachi once again led his ANBU in the general direction of the Naka shrine, and silently sent a prayer to whatever gods were listening to see him, his friends, allies and family through this bloody night.

Deep down he hoped the fight would be short with few casualties.

He knew better.

* * *

"This is an outrage," Uchiha Osamu roared in anger, slamming his fist into the table. "Who gave such a preposterous order!"

The council had met in the secret meeting chamber under the Naka shrine, called together by an emergency meeting. The five elders were already nearing full outrage and panic, going as far as blaming each other with this latest calamity. Uchiha Fugaku looked on with narrowed eyes as his esteemed council seemed to degrade. The whole situation was one huge problem.

He just couldn't believe someone would be stupid enough to sanction such a useless mission, assassinate an eight year old Demon host? The child was no threat to either them or their plans, and although he didn't like him he at least acknowledged the advantages of having a fully trained Jinchūriki within the ranks of the new Shinobi army of Konoha. They would have been damn near unbeatable.

That left a single question.

If he hadn't sanctioned the mission, then who did? All of the councilors were adamant that they weren't involved and the clan head couldn't rely on either the Yamanaka or the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Department at the moment, not with their allegiances for the current senile Sandaime Hokage.

"Not one of us," Uchiha Yuuma answered, clasping his hands on the table as he spoke. "Not with our plans being so close to fruition, and even then the child would be more valuable to us alive than dead."

"It doesn't matter who sanctioned such an order," Uchiha Hideki growled. "The problem is now that old fool is weary of us, all the work we put into looking like we were disarming is for nothing. We must act now before it is too late."

"I agree," Uchiha Minoru agreed with a nod of his aged head. "Whether we like it or not we must escalate our plans, a preemptive strike may give us the advantage."

"But a quick victory is now out of the question," Fugaku sighed. "I hoped to simply eliminate the old man in secret then make a move for the vacant position of Hokage, but that seems out of our grasp now."

"Indeed it does," Hideki agreed with a frown. "I t seems civil war is now the only option."

"Sounds better than skulking around with backroom politics," Yuuma grinned.

"How did you ever become a member of this council?" Uchiha Kazuko frowned before turning back to Fugaku. "But I agree. There is no other option now than a preemptive strike against the Hokage and the Council of Fire. Eliminate the leadership, cut the head off the snake, and then the rest will fall into place."

"Then we must release assassins to deal with the Hokage and clan heads." Hideki said with authority.

"It has already been done," Fugaku stated simply, gaining the councils attention. "Fear not gentlemen, for the necessary action has already been taken. A have sent out a unit of my most trusted men to deal with Hiruzen, and if the rest do not capitulate they will meet a similar end."

"Are you sure they are up to the challenge, Fugaku?" Kazuko asked. "Hiruzen may be getting old but he's still worthy of the mantle."

"Bah," Hideki scoffed. "You give the old fool too much credit!"

"I handpicked each man myself; there is no need to worry." Fugaku replied with a thin smile. "Sarutobi Hiruzen will be dead within the hour."

"Excellent," Hideki applauded. "Then we must prepare for the next stage, I propose sending units to assassinate the heads of the Hyuga, Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara clans. Once Hiashi, Inoichi, Shikaku and Chōza are dealt with then there will be no one to stop us."

"What about Danzō and his Root," Yuuma asked. "They need to be dealt with also."

"Once Danzō has been dealt with then Root will fall apart," Osamu frowned. "Send a unit after him as well, and the Hokage's former teammates."

"Everything has already been done, gentlemen," Fugaku said with a sigh. "All you need to do is wait and hope."

Before anyone could respond there was the almost deafening noise of an explosion, an explosion which shook the very foundations of the underground meeting hall. Fugaku jumped to his feet and rushed to the exit, ignoring the shocked looks on the faces of his elders.

"We're under attack," Osamu shouted.

"But how!" Minoru cried out as he got to his feet.

"It seems Hiruzen is not prepared to wait for us to make the first move," Hideki replied with a wry grin. "He doesn't seem as senile as I thought."

Fugaku spun around as he opened the door, "All of you remain here, understood!"

He did not wait for their answer.

* * *

The Chūnin was barely able to utter a cry of pain before the Ninja-to sliced cleanly through his throat, severing flesh and bone before sending the head flying across the corridor. Uchiha Noboru sheathed his weapon and surveyed the scene around him. It was complete pandemonium, complete chaos, confusion and panic. The guards of the Palace knew they were coming, but were woefully inadequate in taking on a seasoned Jōnin and his small force of veteran Chūnin.

The battle was still ongoing, as the defending Chūnin, Jōnin and ANBU continued to fight a desperate rearguard action against his unit and their Chūnin allies. The battle had been a bloody one, but they were winning. Soon the Hokage will be dead by his own hand and Konoha's head would be severed from its rotten body.

The main hallway leading to the Hokage's office was a mess, wooden walls blackened by the controlled explosions of custom paper bombs, bodies of Chūnin lay where they fell, blood seeping from wounds to pool onto the floor, splattered the floor, walls and ceiling, almost making Miniature Rivers of crimson. It reminded Noboru of the last Great War, and he loved it. The clangs and scrapes of kunai and katana, the meaty thuds of shuriken hitting bodies and the explosions of paper bombs tied to kunai, this was an environment where a Shinobi thrived.

Noboru ducked away from a few thrown kunai, and flew forward with speed, ducking under the hastened slash of his opponent to dig a kunai into his side and jump away. The fuse of the paper bomb had already begun to burn before the Chūnin even knew what hit him. He died in the explosion, ripped to bloody pieces.

"Come on," he shouted with glee. "The old fool is behind those doors. The time for a new Konoha is at hand!"

He kicked through the doors with chakra imbued strength and prepared himself to face the Hokage's own personal ANBU guard, elites in the old man's eyes. Yet he was surprised. There was no one in the reception area, not a single soul. Not even that little teenage Yamanaka girl who had taken over as the Hokage's secretary. The room was empty.

He frowned as he entered the room, kunai drawn as he cautiously looked around. Three Chūnin entered alongside him, also searching for their elusive and seemingly non-existent opponents. Noboru frowned, where was his elite ANBU guards? There were always at least four of them protecting the old man at all times.

With one last look around he turned towards the last door, the one which led to the office of the Hokage himself and kicked open the door. The room was the same as he remembered. That same mahogany desk with an impressive view of Konoha behind it, filing cabinets full of finished paperwork, chairs for guests, warming walls, timber floors.

No ANBU.

Only the old man sat behind his desk, fully dressed in his robes of state, hands clasped, looking at him and his subordinates with narrow, angry eyes. "So you've finally come have you?"

Noboru chuckled, "You were expecting us? Where are your dogs old man!"

"They are not needed," Hiruzen replied in a low, threatening voice. "Against the likes of you I doubt I'll need to go all out."

"Big words," Noboru laughed as he went through the hand seals for the horse, tiger, monkey, bore, horse and tiger before taking in a deep breath, "But useless if one can't back them up; _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!"

He exhaled a stream of fire, funnelling it through his index finger and thumb, which expanded into a great fireball of searing flame. It struck, encompassing the Hokage's desk and the old man himself, floors and walls burned, window panes exploded outward, sending shards of glass and dying embers to the main street below.

Noboru exhaled the last of the flames and waited for the fire to die away. When it did he surveyed the scene of destruction. The wooden floors and once immaculate white walls were blackened by scorch marks, mahogany desk was in flames and the grand windows had been shattered. Yet there was no sign of the old man.

One of the Chūnin moved forward, walking around the flaming desk to see the fallen over chair, and to check for the old man's corpse. The man turned to him with widened eyes. "He's not here!"

"What do you mean he's not there!"

Before the man could reply a single crimson tile soared through the blasted open windows, striking the man's neck with perfect precision. Noboru flinched as the man's neck shattered with a loud crack and he fell to the floor with a meaty thud. He ran forward, his two surviving Chūnin in tow to check the window.

Hiruzen stood at the other end of the street, on top of the building on the other side. He no longer wore his robes of state, but instead a black bodysuit with plated shoulder armour and an ancient Samurai helm worn over his head, twin ribbons swirling behind him in the wind. He looked just like the pictures Noboru had seen in textbooks about him. The Legendary Professor, hero of the First Shinobi World War and Sandaime Hokage of Konoha.

Already Sarutobi's hands were converging into the seals for the tiger, dragon, rat, horse and tiger of his next Jutsu. "_Ninpo: Kawara Shuriken_!"

Several crimson tiles broke free of their restraints and floated into the air all around him, levitating for a few moments before soaring towards Noboru and his subordinates. The Jōnin dived to the darkened floor, hitting the deck just as the wave of heavy tiles soared through the shattered window frames. One of his Chūnin took a tile to the face, caving in his skull in an explosion of shattered bone and viscera. Another struck another man's thigh, shattering the bone with a thundering crack and sending its target to the ground, howling in agony.

Noboru rose to his feet, hands beginning to go over the seals for another fire Jutsu, but the sound of something landing in front of him caught his attention. He looked up to see the Hokage perched on the window frame in a crouch, hands coming together to form the sign of the tiger. Noboru knew that it was already too late.

Sarutobi leaned back, taking in a deep breath of air before releasing a stream of condensed flame from his mouth, the flames distorted in motion, coming together to make the visage of a snarling dragon opening its long jaws. Noboru and his subordinates barely had time to scream before they were encompassed by the flames and burned to a crisp. The power behind the Jutsu caused the whole room to go up in flames, and Sarutobi was forced to jump back out the window so as not to get caught. He landed in a crouch, in the middle of the street and slowly rose to his feet, breathing out a small cloud of smoke.

"_Katon: Karyū Endan,_" he muttered as he looked up at the blasted frames, watching as the flames licked and burned through his old office.

"Hokage-sama!"

He looked around in time to see four ANBU agents land on the ground before him, crouched with their heads bowed in something similar to reverence. The lead ANBU, wearing a white mask with black paint giving off the visage of a snarling wolf looked up.

He nodded gruffly before looking back to the scene of destruction before him, "Report."

"As you expected the Uchiha launched assassination attempts on the clan heads of every major clan in the village. They have since been found and taken care of. Units of ANBU have been placed around each clan compound, and the clans have been assembled to defend the village." Wolf gave his report with professionalism expected of every ANBU.

"And the counterattack?"

"Uchiha Itachi has reported successfully meeting up with the Uchiha loyalists and is moving into position. ANBU Captains Yamamoto and Edo have begun their assault on the Naka shrine, heavy resistance."

"It appears the information was correct," Hiruzen replied with a frown. "The Uchiha were preparing to launch their coup tonight, using Naka shrine as their staging ground, any word on the council, or Fugaku?"

"According to early reports the council has barricaded themselves in the secret chamber, Uchiha Fugaku is leading the defence against out counter thrust." Wolf answered.

Hiruzen sighed, "So much for the quick victory."

* * *

Itachi looked upon the chaos before him with a sigh. It appeared that the Uchiha dissidents had expected an attack and were more than prepared to meet the ANBU and Jōnin forces arrayed against them. Shouting and the scrapping of metal could be heard from his perch and in front of him the once hallowed ground which was the Naka Buddhist shrine had become a battle ground.

The dead lay where they fell. The bodies of Uchiha and ANBU alike covered the stone courtyard, blood staining the ground in pools and Miniature Rivers. The Torii gate was burning, as were half of the timber structures within the sacred grounds of the Naka shrine.

Dissident and loyalist alike were fighting across the courtyard, armed with kunai, shuriken, Ninja-to and katana as they hacked and slashed at each other. There was no room for any fancy Jutsu here, using mid to long range techniques were just as likely to hit friend as well as enemy, so the battle was being fought with close range techniques as well as fists, feet and a variety of close range weapons.

Itachi looked to Shisui, who nodded, and with a raised hand lead his men and women into the fight. The ANBU and Uchiha loyalists launched themselves in unison, any doubts forgotten as the common need to survive took over. Itachi was the first to land, right behind one of his clansmen as he was about to finish off a wounded ANBU. He grabbed the man and stabbed his Ninja-to through his back, blade exiting through his chest covered in gore. His clansmen's back bent like a bow as he fell to his knees, then his face.

He flew forward with reckless abandon, Ninja-to held tightly in his hands as he ducked a panicked strike from another of his kin and stabbed out with his weapon, piercing him in the abdomen and slashing to the side. The man screamed in pain before Itachi grabbed him and effortlessly slit his throat.

Itachi pushed all of his doubts to the back of his mind, encompassing his thoughts with two simple words, spoken over and over again. _"Don't think, don't think, don't think, don't think."_

Uchiha Shizuka was running right for him, katana raised high over her head. She was a Jōnin level Shinobi, thirty two years of age, liked to grow flowers in her spare time, especially white roses, mother of three, one of whom was only four years old. He remembered when she used to sneak sweets to him and the other kids.

"Traitor!"

"_Don't think."

* * *

_

Uchiha Hideki had been a member of the Uchiha Clan Council for close to twenty years, ever since he had officially retired from the Shinobi ranks he had been invited to join this prestigious advisory body. He had been proud of his ascension, and had done what he could for the good of the village and the clan.

Then the Kyubi no Yoko attacked. Slaughtered hundreds of men and women, Shinobi and civilian alike fell before its relentless onslaught. Only the last second thinking of the Yondaime Hokage had saved them all, sealing the demon in a human vessel was a stroke of genius and said plenty about the man's skill and courage. He had not only saved the village but given them a Jinchūriki with the potential to become more powerful than any of the others.

That was when everything had begun to go downhill. First to come were the rumours, malicious rumours. Hideki knew that most rumours were simply hearsay, but the common crowd gobbled them up as if it were their last meal. Rumours abounded that an Uchiha had somehow led the Kyubi to Konoha, had orchestrated the attack. There wasn't a shred of evidence proving these ridiculous accusations, but just the word seemed enough for the Hokage.

They had been moved from their original compound to a small settlement on the outskirts of the village, isolating them from the rest of the population. Then slowly the advisory council noticed that the control they had on the Police force, which they had created and administered since the villages founding, was being stolen from under them by backroom village politics.

It was that knowledge which had Fugaku-sama declare action. In Hideki's mind it was long overdue. Ever since the Yondaime died the village had been placed in a slow downward spiral. Sarutobi may have been a great Hokage in his day, but he was getting old and a successor needed to be chosen. The only problem was politics. Members of the ruling clans could not be considered for Hokage, a measure introduced by the Shodaime to make sure the most powerful clans didn't gain too much power.

That settled it. If the Uchiha could not clear their name then they would do so by force, show the entire village that they weren't simple dogs who could be put down at a moment's notice. They were the surviving founding clan of Konohagakure no Sato. It was them and the Senju who created this village from the ground up, and it was their time to shine.

They had assumed that the village would be completely taken by surprise. They assumed the Hokage wouldn't prepare a pre-emptive strike against them. They assumed the Uchiha clan was united under their beliefs. How wrong they had been. News whittled down to them that their fellow kinsmen and women had turned against them, had made a deal with the Hokage to oust them from their positions.

There was no way for them to win now, but they could at least take as many of them with them as they could. Make a final stand which the village would forever remember.

Hideki became mildly aware of a smell wafting op his nostrils, reminding him of the scent of rotten eggs. It took his old mind barely a second to remember what that meant, but by then it was already too late. He turned to see Osamu slumped over in his chair, a thud against the wooden floor signalled that Kazuko, who had been pacing, had collapsed.

Gas;

They were being gassed.

He got to his feet, fishing in his robe pocket for a handkerchief as he made his way towards the exit, all the while with each step he took his body got heavier, his eyes blurred and his limbs felt like lead weights. He was three steps from the entrance before he collapsed, falling on his face, foam bubbled from his mouth and nose as the poison gas did its job.

On the surface two ANBU wearing the insignias of Root stood over the hidden chambers oxygen supply, a rather innocent looking air vent, imbedded in the ground fifty yards inside the tree line of the Naka Shrine. A container of cyanide gas was being pumped into the vent.

* * *

Uchiha Fugaku ran with chakra propelled speed, propelling himself into the air and jumping from branch to branch in retreat of the battle. It was a lost cause, the ANBU, Jōnin and traitorous Uchiha had taken his forces by complete surprise. It was a complete and utter slaughter out there, with the dead littering the grounds like leaves during the autumn solstice.

He gritted his teeth in anger. His own clan had turned against him. His own eldest son was leading the charge. They were all traitors, every last one of them. Could they not see that he had done all of this for them? Could they not see that by siding with those corrupt cowards that they were sentencing the remnants of their clan to a life of servitude and enslavement under the tyrannical heels of the village?

If his own eldest son was against him, then who else was? Was his wife, his youngest son, his own council? Was this all a trap to get him out in the open, start a power vacuum? Replace him with someone who could be more easily manipulated? He was the only one capable of leading the clan. The clan was his, his, his HIS!

He twisted in midair, pulling a handful of kunai tied with explosive tags from his vest pocket and throwing them at the surrounding trees. The three man unit sent after him were hot on his heels, and he saw no way of escaping until he took care of them. The paper bombs exploded as the last man soared past, and engulfed him in flames.

The other two were already upon him, Ninja-to drawn from sheathes strapped to their backs. Fugaku landed on the ground, finishing his seal of the tiger. "_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!_"

He breathed out a huge fireball of crimson, bathing everything in proximity in crimson flames. The foliage, trees and canopy was burning, but the two ANBU were able to dodge the attack, one using a substitution to get him out of range, the other using chakra propelled speed to dart out of the way. Fugaku jumped back, backpedalling a few steps when his feet touched earth, drew his katana from the small of his back and a kunai from his hip holster.

Both ANBU came in at the same time, but Fugaku was able to bring his weapons around to block each of their strikes, and pushed them away. He activated his fully matured Sharingan and allowed himself to fall into a basic sword fighting stance. When they came again his three tomoe Sharingan eye saw every move they made, and his body, honed by years of training and fighting, moved with grace.

He blocked each blow with simple ease, Sharingan eyes telling him their next move based on the way their bodies moved, shifting eight right and left, bending knees, lashing out with kicks and fists as well as blades. It was all too easy. He ducked a slash and darted forward, katana piercing through carapace armour, bone, blood and cartilage. The ANBU fell back, katana imbedded in his chest.

The last black ops agent came at him with a new ferocity, slashing and hacking with his Ninja-to, each strike effortlessly intercepted by the former Uchiha clan head. Uchiha Fugaku snorted; new recruits most likely, weren't nearly as good as the Hokage's personal elites.

He was about to attack when he saw a spark of chakra in the shadows of the woods, only a spark, but enough to get his matured eyes attention. He disengaged and jumped back, just as a condensed beam of flame shot out from the darkness and encompassed his opponent. The man barely had time to scream before the flames consumed him, cooking him like meat over a fire. He was still screaming when the attack ceased, and his body, blackened and sizzling from burns fell onto its knees, then its face.

Uchiha Fugaku drew another kunai and waited. He didn't have to wait long. A single figure walked out of the darkness, covered in a long black cloak with crimson clouds decorating the fabric. Over his face was an orange mask set in a swirling pattern, only one eyehole visible. The figure chuckled darkly before it spoke.

"So you're the Clan head these days? The Uchiha are definitely getting weaker."

Fugaku gritted his teeth. "Who are you!"

The cloaked assailant seemed to ignore him as he turned to look at the shrine in the distance, sky lit up by the burning flames. "Not according to plan. I was hoping for the Uchiha clan to be eradicated tonight, but it seems they will live to fight for a little while longer."

"What?"

"Oh come now my boy, did you really believe your clan of two, maybe three hundred Shinobi could defeat a village of ten, maybe fifteen thousand active duty Ninja, and that doesn't count the five thousand reservists and retired personnel." He looked at him with a dull onyx eye. "Truly you are delusional."

One moment he was there, the next he wasn't. Fugaku could only look on in complete surprise and bewilderment before a blade exploded from his chest, sending blood and gore across the ground. The former clan head hacked up blood before looking down at the soaked crimson blade. "When... how?"

The figure sighed as he withdrew his sword, walking past him as Fugaku fell to his knees. The masked Shinobi looked at the blade before snapping his wrist, sending blood pooling to the ground. "Yes, the Uchiha clan has truly fallen if a neophyte like you is their clan head. In my day clan heads were men and women who were born and bred through war and carnage, conditioned into deadly weapons and calculating strategists."

There was a blur and Fugaku was slammed against the bark of a tree, a tree which was ten meters away from where he had fallen. He gasped in pain, before hacking and coughing. The masked assassin had a good grip on his neck, keeping him immobilised with a single hand, another dark chuckle.

"I suppose it's not a total loss." Fugaku looked up just in time to see a hand reach out for his right eye, index, middle finger and thumb gaining a grip on his still Sharingan activated orb. "Your eyes will suffice, for now."

The night was deafened by a meaty snap, followed by a pained scream.

* * *

Dawn was breaking, and from his place Sarutobi sat, watched and waited. The crimson sky, visible to his west, was a sign of the great battle which had taken place during the night. A battle which had only lasted for a half hour, forty minutes at most, and by its end the Uchiha separatists were now either dead or had surrendered. The council had been killed in their hidden chamber, and Uchiha Fugaku was nowhere to be found.

Casualties were heavy, with almost fifty of his ANBU either killed or grievously wounded, casualties for the loyalists were eight dead, six wounded. The casualties for the separatists were far worse, out of the hundred and fifty Uchiha who had stubbornly dug in their heels and followed their clan head none had survived. They had all fought to the last man and woman, brave but pointless.

Now he waited for the leader of the loyalist faction to make himself, or herself known to him. He already had an idea of who it was, but choose to bide his time and wait. He didn't have to wait long. The broken door at the other side of his battle scarred office opened and the leader of the Uchiha loyalists stepped into the early morning light, Uchiha Itachi and Shisui flanking her.

He wasn't disappointed, nor was he surprised to see Uchiha Mikoto enter the chamber, her usually beautiful and youthful features looking pale and haggard. She was dressed in her old Jōnin attire, and he guessed by the splashes of blood on her uniform and jacket that she had been in the thick of the fighting.

She wasn't an Uchiha by blood, but she was one of the finest Shinobi of her generation, renowned for her strength, stubborn determination and mastery of the katana. Mikoto was chosen to be Fugaku's wife because of these traits. It had been a test, a simple test for the Uchiha council to see if the Sharingan could be strengthened when a member of the clan mated with someone from outside the clan.

She bowed deeply, "Hokage-sama."

He heard the trembling in her voice and rose to his feet, "Mikoto-san, so you were the leader."

She raised her head, doing an admirable job, but anyone could see how moist her eyes were, "Hai, Hokage-sama. We need to gather the dead for burial and see to the wounded and dying, a new clan head needs to be found and... and-"

She lowered her head and stifled a quiet sob. Her son placing a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze, and Mikoto looked up at him with a thankful smile. Her eldest son stepped forward and spoke for his mother. "Forgive her, Hokage-sama. It has been a trying time for all of us."

He nodded, placing a hand on her other shoulder, "I understand, and there is no need to apologise. This whole fiasco could have been averted if it wasn't for my negligence, and I can assure you that this will never happen again."

"He was a good man," Mikoto spoke up. "Once he was a good man, determined to change his clan for the better... but something happened to him Hokage-sama, one day he simply changed. Almost like he wasn't the same person I married anymore."

He nodded, "I know Mikoto, I know."

* * *

Shimura Danzo took a sip of his green tea before looking down upon his two subordinates; both men were kneeling before him, heads bowed in respect. He waited for a brief moment before bidding them to rise, "Report."

The one on the right nodded his head, "The deed is done, Danzo-sama. The Uchiha elders were successfully terminated as per orders and allied forces in the area were unaware of our presence."

"As far as they are aware the elders committed suicide by drinking poisoned tea," the second added.

Danzo nodded, "Excellent, you are dismissed."

The Root ANBU bowed their heads before vanishing in a duo of blurs.

Danzo took another sip of his tea before setting the cup down. He had to admit this was not the way he saw the scenario work. A faction of the Uchiha allying with Konoha was unlikely at best in his opinion, but it seemed to work out well.

Danzo knew that the one he chose wasn't adequate enough for the task of assassinating a Jinchūriki, no matter his age. It was a simple task of forging the signature and presenting it before the man, and even easier for him to make the attempt. The intervention of the Nukenin was unexpected, but it wasn't serious enough that he couldn't recover. The Hokage would think it was an act of the Uchiha, forcing him to make a move against them, thus wiping out a political opponent and a volatile clan in one stroke, or so he thought.

It didn't quite work out the way he wanted; then again the result was better than his best expectations. There were still Uchiha among Konoha's Shinobi forces, as well as plenty of fresh bodies with Sharingan for his research. The Uchiha clan head and advisory council had been eliminated with acceptable casualties.

It was an adequate result.

* * *

"Hmm, I'm truly amazed the control lasted for as long as it did." He looked down at the simple glass jar, studying the two eyes submerged in the greenish liquid, before glancing back at the still body that the eyes once belonged too. Lying face down on the ground, eyes wide open showing nothing more than a black abyss. "Amazing how the powers of the Mangekyo can work won't you agree? Keeping you under my thumb for so long, even if the end results weren't what I wished for."

He looked at the Hidden Village from his perch. Far enough away to assure that he wouldn't be detected by the inhabitants within. The battle had ended many hours ago, and the victors were obvious. He grinned under his mask as he watched the sun rise.

The village had been victorious, as he expected, no matter how perfect the Uchiha thought they were they were no match for an army of thousands of Shinobi. A few hundred against a few thousand were never good odds, not unless the numerically lesser force had superior strategic planning to back it up, even then outcomes were uncertain.

"Don't relax quite yet Konoha, because this incident was only the beginning." He whispered as he watched the sun continue its slow cycle. "This era of _peace _had made this country, no, this continent complacent and weak. I will put an end to this false peace. I will begin a war to end all wars, and when it is over true peace will be a reality."

He slipped the glass jar into his flowing black robes, looked once more at the rising sun and blurred out of existence, leaving not a single trace of his existence. His voice echoed through the landscape, a ghostly voice which seemed to come from a dream of a dream.

"This is only the beginning."

* * *

_**Glossary**_

_Shinobi - Ninja_

_Chūnin – Journeyman Ninja_

_Jōnin – High Ninja_

_Nukenin – Missing Ninja_

_Hokage – Fire Shadow_

_Raikage – Lightning Shadow_

_Konohanin – Leaf Ninja_

_Hokage – Fire Shadow_

_Shodaime – The First_

_Sandaime – The Third_

_Yondaime – The Fourth_

_Sharingan – Pinwheel Eyes_

_Jinchūriki – Power of the Human Sacrifice_

_Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Monster Cat_

_Kyubi no Yoko – Nine Tailed Demon Fox_

_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique_

_Katon: Karyū Endan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet_

_Ninpo: Kawara Shuriken – Ninja Art: Tile Shuriken

* * *

_

_**Author's Note 1: **_Laptop went boom, seriously the memory core fried and I lost a shit load of fanfiction work, including a completed chapter of this (Had to rewrite the thing ) and beginnings of chapters from _A Long Way From Home _and _The Good Left Undone, _plus the inevitable sex scene segment for the latter -_- (First time trying too...hmm, maybe it's a sign... well screw you I'm rewriting it), it was a work of art and it's now gone!. No university work though, thank god.

_**Author's Note 2: **_Naruto, all of the characters and locations are all the property of Masashi Kishimoto, I make no profit from this venture.

_**Author's Note 3: **_No Omake this time, mainly because this is the end of the first story arc, and the next story arc will begin roughly when the Manga begins, just with a few changes to the script. I am the writer of this little re-imagination after all. On a side note this chapter was once again rushed a little bit, will be fixed up later on if I made any mistakes.

_**Author's Note 4: **_How should Naruto's team work out this time around? It's going to be different with someone aiding and helping him, and I already have an idea of who the Genin team should be, but I wanted your opinions. Pick two of Naruto's teammates and see if they coincide with my own choices.


	12. Chapter 11: Graduation

_**Naruto**_

_**Azure Cat, Crimson Fox**_

_**Act 2**_

_**Gloves Come Off**_

_**Chapter 11**_

_**Graduation**_

It was a simple classroom, tables and chairs removed to give the examinees enough space to perform their designated Jutsu. The only pieces of furniture in the whole room were a teacher's desk and three steel fold up chairs. Sitting on these chairs were the examiners for his entire year.

The examiners for his year were Uchiha Midori, a relatively new instructor to the school, taking over from Mizuki-sensei in Taijutsu. She was pretty cool and taught them some awesome moves which weren't in the curriculum, making her alright in his book. Shizuo Mikado was their survivalist lecturer, a little eccentric and broody, but otherwise fine, and their homeroom and class lecturer, Umino Iruka sat in the centre of the group, frowning down at his notes before looking up at him.

"Alright Naruto-kun," he began, looking up at the twelve year old blonde with a tired smile. "You know the drill, produce three Bunshin and you pass, you ready?"

Naruto grinned, and put his hands together for a seal, "You bet."

The first thing Iruka noticed was that the seal he made wasn't the usual ram, snake and tiger, but instead he placed his index and middle fingers into the shape of a cross and flared his chakra. That same grin still in place Naruto called out the name of the technique, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

"You gotta be kidding," Mikado muttered in half awe and half shock as a cloud of white smoke engulfed the room. Idly the central tutor was happy they decided to open the windows before the test began before looking at the dispersing field of white.

Four Naruto's stood in a straight line before his lecturers, all grinning broadly and standing proudly. His three tutors looked at him in complete and utter surprise. The blonde boy was dead in the centre of the class, middle of the pack, not terrible but not brilliant either. He excelled in subjects related to physical activity, like survival, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu but when it came to classes more related to theory like maths, biology and history he was barely able to pass.

Silence prevailed, and the four Nauto copies, once smug were now looking at them with a frown, "What? Did I get the Jutsu wrong?"

"No," Midori replied as she rose to her feet and circled around their table. She walked until she was standing right beside the Naruto on the far right. "Far from it Gaki, just let me try something."

Before Naruto could reply she leaned down until they were face to face, and the blonde boy blushed when he caught a glimpse at her cleavage. Midori-sensei was a cool instructor, fair, impartial and willing to help anyone who was struggling, plus she was a raven haired bombshell with a supermodels physique and a face which was very easy on the eyes. She smirked that smirk which seemed to be an Uchiha trademark before poking his clone in the forehead with the middle and index fingers of her right hand.

"Owe," the clone exclaimed, reaching up with his hand to massage his forehead. "Hey Midori-sensei, what gives?"

She blinked in surprise before righting herself and turning to the other two instructors, "They're completely solid."

"He created three Kage Bunshin," Mikado muttered in disbelief, before turning to Iruka and lowering his voice, just as Midori sat back down. "Isn't that a forbidden technique because of the chakra requirements?"

Iruka nodded, "It is, but with Naruto's condition I'm not surprised he was able to do it. So what's the verdict?"

"He passes with flying colours of course," Midori replied. "Creating a Kage Bunshin is well over the necessary requirements."

"I agree," Iruka replied.

"Sure, sure," Mikado added with a dismissal wave of his hand.

Iruka looked at the blonde, well blondes in front of him before smiling, "Congratulations Naruto, you pass."

Naruto's grin returned full force as Iruka rose from his seat, picked up one of the headbands on the table and presented it to him, "Uzumaki Naruto, you are hereby a Genin of Konoha, welcome to the Shinobi ranks."

Naruto felt like jumping up and down in pure joy, but managed to school his features down to a grin. He bowed his head, remembering the procedure and took the Konoha Hatai-ite from his mentor with both hands. He looked down at the headband in awe, almost as if it were a valuable treasure. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka grinned, "Your welcome Naruto-kun, now get out of here and back to class. Oh, and tell Yamanaka Ino that she's next."

Naruto nodded and walked out of the classroom with a skip in his step. The moment the door closed the three lecturers could hear a shout of 'Hell yeah!'

Iruka sighed as he took his chair, "At least he waited until he was outside the classroom."

"Mm-hmm," Mikado agreed as he too began sorting through the student roster for the next student. "How many are left?"

"Just another three and we'll be finished, finally." Iruka replied. "It's a good class this year, beat the record in passes."

"What did you expect with so many clan heirs present?"

"I suppose,"

"Um, how did he learn such an advanced technique?" Midori asked with a frown. "I knew the kid had a lot of untapped potential but-"

"It's times like these when we are reminded how new you are, Midori-chan." Iruka smiled teasingly, enjoying her reaction when the Uchiha huffed lightly. "Just think of whom his tutors are outside of school and it'll come to you."

* * *

Naruto entered his classroom just as he finished tying his Hatai-ite to his forehead. The class was full of students milling around, showing off their new Hatai-ites to each other and talking in hushed tones. Sasuke was sitting in the middle, being harassed by his little club of fan girls, Naruto didn't envy the guy too much. He spotted Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba sitting near the back and walked up to meet them.

While on his way up to them he passed by a small crowd. The Uchiha was looking bored and stoic as ever, or was it moody? He had trouble telling. His club of fan girls were all around him, particularly Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino who were sitting on either side of him. When he saw Naruto through a smirk etched his face. "So you passed huh?"

Naruto frowned. The two of them were joint rookie of the year, but they weren't really what one would call friends, more like fierce rivals determined to be better than the other. Both had drawn dead even in almost every class from Taijutsu and survival courses to class examinations. The only real advantage Sasuke had over him was in the Taijutsu tallies, forty wins to his forty one. A single point was all that stood between them.

"Course I passed, surprised you did though."

The Uchiha snorted, "I was the one before you moron."

"I care why?"

The Uchiha shrugged before laying his head on his folded arms. Naruto grumbled something under his breath before making the rest of the way up to his group of friends. Fully aware of the murderous glares Sakura and Ino were sending his way. It was only then that he remembered. "Oh, Ino you're up next."

Ino gave him a mild glare before rising to her feet. She didn't even caste him a glance as she gave one last longing look Sasuke's way before walking down the steps towards the exit and the final examination beyond. Continuing to walk up the central steps Naruto took a quick look at what his friends were doing, and wasn't at all surprised. Chouji was feasting on a bag of chips, Shikamaru was sleeping. The only one who noticed him was Kiba who grinned as he approached. "You passed too huh?"

Naruto returned his friends grin, "Hell yeah, you expected otherwise."

The Inuzuka shrugged, "Nah, I knew you'd do it, right Akamaru."

The puppy yipped in agreement.

"Yea, well done Naruto," Chouji added between mouthfuls of potato chips.

"Hmm," Shikamaru muttered sleepily, looking up with dreary eyes and a table mark on his right cheek. "What I miss?"

"Naruto passed," Chouji filled in.

The Nara shrugged before returning to his comatose state. The four of them had been friends since midway through their first year. It hadn't happened immediately. Shikamaru and Chouji had already been friends, and Naruto and Kiba had become friends after a couple of weeks. The Inuzuka and Uzumaki had so much in common, and enjoyed pulling pranks to much that they just started working together out of habit. The results of their collaboration during first and second year had been explosive.

Then Shikamaru and Chouji had gotten involved, and when they had grown out of pulling pranks in third year they had begun hanging out in their spare time, cloud watching, eating out, to the cinema and plenty of other activities kids their age were known for doing.

Five minutes passed before Iruka re-entered the classroom and stood on his lecturing pulpit. The class quietened down, each now listening with rapt attention to what their homeroom teacher had to say.

"Congratulations to all who have passed. We are very proud of each and every one of you. Be back here at 0900 hours tomorrow morning to be sorted into your Genin squads and meet with your sensei's, got it? But for right know we have a few more things to take care of, including getting your pictures taken for your registration cards, so line up!"

* * *

It was a beautiful day, she thought as she sat on the window frame, looking out over the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The sun shone down from the heavens, wisps of thin cloud being the only blemish in the otherwise clear sky. Below her people milled about in the early afternoon, mothers shopping with their children, businessmen returning to their offices after the lunch hour, even the odd Shinobi wandering through the busy streets.

Yugito smiled before returning her attention to the instrument in her hands, pricking a few cords of her Shamisen before starting to play one of her favourite musical pieces, a soft melody which always lifted her heart when she was feeling worried or down. The instrument itself was just a typical Shamisen, made of Konoha fire oak and painted white, cords were made of nylon. Any real musician would consider it a simple brand. But to her it was special. A gift from Naruto when she turned twenty one, Sage only knew how much he spent on it.

She continued to play, absently singing the lyrics to the song in a soft voice.

"_Am I loud and clear, or am I breaking up."_

"_Am I still your charm, or am I just bad luck."_

"_Are we getting closer, or are we just getting more lost."_

"_I'll show you mine, if you show me yours first."_

"_Let's compare scars. I'll tell you who's is worse."_

"_Let's un-write these pages and replace them with all wrong words."_

Now smiling she upped the tune, fingertips skipping across the necessary cords with perfection born from years of practise. It wasn't a typical song you played with a Shamisen, but it was one of her favourites.

"_We live on front porches and swing life away."_

"_We get by just fine here on minimal wage."_

"_If love is a labour I'll slave till the end."_

"_Won't cross these streets until you hold my hand,"_

"_Until you hold my hand;"_

"Yo,"

She jumped with a surprised squeak, almost losing her grip on her instrument before levelling a glare at the intruder. Standing beside her, leaning down with that usual eye smile was none other than her partner and friend Hatake Kakashi, looking a little too smug for his own good.

"Don't you ever knock?" she growled.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"How long have you been here?"

"Since a moment before you started to play," Kakashi replied, anyone who knew him as well as she did would be able to make out his subtle moods, and at the moment he was enjoying himself, especially so when she started to blush in slight embarrassment. "You looked so at peace when you started that I almost didn't want to interrupt."

She huffed lightly before nudging off the window sill and into her apartment, Kakashi followed in a fluent step. "Seriously Yugito, if you were a stranger to me I would have mistaken you for a musician."

Setting her prized instrument on the coffee table as she entered the kitchen, Yugito opened the fridge and fished out a small carton of milk. She didn't mind the lack of suffix; they knew each other so well by now that it didn't feel necessary. "This isn't the first time you've heard me play, Kakashi."

The scarecrow shrugged his shoulders, "So, are you worried about Naruto that much?"

She stiffened slightly, before recovering. Yugito turned around, tossing Kakashi another carton. "What makes you think that?"

"Like you said I've seen you play before," Kakashi replied as he caught the bottle on reflex, giving her a quizzical look.

"Milk is good for you," she chided lightly before her face turned into a slight frown. "And I'm not worried."

"Please," Kakashi replied in a disbelieving drawl. "I know you Yugito. You only ever sit on a window sill playing your Shamisen under two conditions. When you're having a bad day, or when you're worried about something."

She scowled at him. Ever since she had been accepted into the Konoha ranks as an elite Jōnin she had found herself paired up with Kakashi for most elite missions. The two had fought and bled together over the last three and a half years, completing six A-rank and two S-rank missions together. They worked so well as a team that Hokage-sama decided to turn them into one.

The Copy Ninja and the Azure Cat, known jokingly among their fellow Jōnin as _Team Copycat;_ She still owed Anko for that one.

"Alright," she sighed in defeat, falling onto the couch.

"You know you shouldn't be worried. The kid should be fine." He sat down on the chair across from her. "By the way, when did you teach him the _Kage Bunshin_?"

She smirked, "So he did do well in _that _class."

"You didn't answer my question Yugito," Kakashi sighed. "The _Kage Bunshin _is considered a forbidden technique because of its high levels of chakra consumption, Jōnin level technique."

"Relax," Yugito waved off her teammates worry. "It was Ero-Sennin who gave him the scroll. He went up to the old pervert last time he was here and told him about his inability to create a regular clone without blowing it up. Jiraiya grinned, said 'leave it to me', and was back an hour later with a scroll which read, and I quote... 'Highly Forbidden Jutsu, read at users own risk'... I was about to send him flying across the village."

"I can understand Naruto calling him Ero-Sennin, but you?"

"I do it just to see him flap around like a headless bird." Yugito grinned that Cheshire cats grin. "Never gets old that one. Oh, I hear the Hokage has asked you to take on _another _Genin team."

"You heard about the others huh?" Kakashi replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Four Genin teams sent back to the academy in as many years," Yugito nodded as she folded her arms under her considerable bust. "Sounds like your Genin test is nigh impossible to pass."

"Hmm, you may be right about that," Kakashi replied as he got to his feet and walked to the window, hopping onto the sill. "But then again maybe that means that I haven't been given a competent Genin team yet. From what I remember Hokage-sama asked you to take one on as well, why did you turn it down."

"I'm not cut out to lead a Genin team," she replied dismissively.

"Yet you were more than capable of looking after a hyperactive four year old?" Kakashi raised a thin eyebrow. "Well anyway, I have a meeting to get too, sorting out the Genin teams and all that."

She snorted lightly, "Yeah right, you're going to waltz in an hour late like you always do."

"What can I say," Kakashi replied as he gripped the frame of the window. "Black cats follow me like the plague."

He was out the window, missing the half full milk carton she hurled at him, and across the street in the blink of an eye, and Yugito watched him go with a growl and a shake of her head before walking towards her bedroom. The cub's exams were almost over, and she wanted to see how well he did.

* * *

The bell had rung, and the newly minted Genin had rushed out of the academy in droves to be greeted and congratulated by their proud parents. Children laughed and pointed at their Hatai-ites, telling their mothers and fathers slightly exaggerated tales of how they had passed the examination. Naruto walked through the courtyard towards his usual resting spot, a tree with a swing tied to the strongest branch, and waited.

Kiba, Chouji, Shikamaru and Hinata had all be greeted by their parents or guardians, and the blonde didn't want to interrupt them while they were congratulated by their proud elders. He was completely unaware of two women within the crowd, looking at him with scathing glares.

"Isn't that-" one started with a frown, but cut herself off before she could finish the sentence.

The other wasn't nearly as fidgety, "Yea, that's him, and he's passed too."

"Why did the Hokage allow him to be a Shinobi anyway, don't they even remember what he is?"

"Shush," the other one said a little quickly, "We're not allowed to talk about it."

Someone walked passed them, shoving them aside with enough force to make both women stumble. The one on the right was the first to recover and was about to throw an insult at the person, only to freeze as she opened her mouth as she locked eyes with the perpetrator and recognised those dark orbs.

She wore the attire of a Konoha Shinobi, black pants and jacket, ankles and forearms tied tight with white wrappings to stop the clothes from billowing. Armoured leaf green Jōnin vest worn over her uniform, orange swirls etched into the back as well as her shoulders. Katana strapped across her back, weapons holster tied to her right thigh and the Konoha Hatai-ite worn over her forehead, half hidden by blonde bangs. She would be considered beautiful in any culture with her pale skin, slanted eyes and pale blonde hair tied into a braid of white cloth. She was Nii Yugito, Azure Cat, one of the most powerful Shinobi in Konoha's considerable armed forces.

She looked at the two women with a glare which would have melted steel before walking away, leaving both women pale and shaking, not from words, but the rush of killing intent which swept over them like a tsunami. Naruto noticed her approach, and with a bright grin jumped to his feet, "Hey mom."

She smiled as she waved back, "Hey, so how'd it go?"

He pointed to his Hatai-ite, tied to his forehead, keeping his blonde bangs back, "Passed with flying colours."

She hugged him, "I shouldn't have been worried should I?"

"Nah, you worried over nothing mom. The exams were a piece of cake." He said as he returned her hug.

Yugito's eyes took on a mischievous glint, "Oh and who was unable to sleep last night because of that _piece of cake_ exam?"

He pouted at her, "Don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you don't," she replied with a sweet smile, rising to her feet and ruffling her charges blond hair. "So I suppose I should take you out to celebrate, Ichiraku Ramen, on me."

Naruto jumped for joy as she led him out of the academy gates, looking forward to telling the old man and Ayame all about it. He supposed he should send a letter to Ero-Sennin to, and Samui-Nee in Cloud.

"So when are they assigning the teams?" she asked idly.

"Tomorrow morning at nine," Naruto replied with a grin.

* * *

The Uchiha clan had undergone an unprecedented period of change over the last few years. The events of the Uchiha Revolt had begun a period of tense suspicion between those remaining Uchiha and the rest of the village. It never got out of hand, but the surviving fifty Shinobi and two hundred civilians felt the pressure on their shoulders. The need to prove their loyalty to the village that their ancestors helped found.

There had been no serious incidents. No civilian was crazy enough to try and attack a fully trained Shinobi and the Hokage had made it abundantly clear that if any harm came to the survivors of the clan there would be serious repercussions. The Hokage's declaration that the surviving Shinobi of the clan were unquestionably loyal to the Leaf had calmed a good portion of the people, but the tension was still there, and would remain for some time.

Still it did not stop some crimes from being committed. The Naka shrine, which had been cleared of bodies and cleaned of blood, had been vandalised, insults and death threats had been painted on the walls. At least twice the clans own defensive walls had been vandalised, windows of nearby houses had been smashed and doors defaced. The perpetrators had been caught and charged for their crimes, but this didn't make the civilian element of the clan feel any safer.

Then there were the rebuilding of the clan.

The five surviving eldest Shinobi of the clan were elected to the now vacant council positions, not a single one was over thirty and they were all still active duty Shinobi. The new clan head had to be the strongest and best of them, so Uchiha Shisui was selected by the new interim council. It was between him and Itachi, and the former clan heads son was considered too young, being only thirteen at the time.

The first few months after the Revolt had been the toughest, when the suspicion had been at its most rampant. Itachi, Shisui and Mikoto had been the target of assassination attempts by a few hardliner survivors of Uchiha Fugaku's ideals, wishing to destroy the traitors before they _destroyed_ the clan. None of these assassinations had worked, with either loyal Uchiha or the Hokage's own ANBU foiling them.

Now it was four years later, Sasuke realised as he waited in the main courtyard of the academy. Four years since the revolt which had severely weakened his clan, lead to the death of his father and fundamentally changed his outlook on life. It was hard to hear that his father had attempted a coup against Konoha, and had nearly taken the entire clan down with him.

Sasuke had refused to believe it at first. He found it difficult to understand, and for a time he didn't speak to either his mother or brother. Now he knew that he had hurt his mother terribly, but then he just didn't care. All of his life he had looked for his father's approval, to prove to him above all others that he was his own person and not Itachi's shadow. He had looked up to the man, held him in awe and, as a child, felt that he could do no wrong.

Eventually he had cornered his brother and demanded why he and the surviving Shinobi of the clan had turned against him. Why had they made the choices they did? Itachi had looked at Sasuke with true sadness in his eyes.

"_Because I love this village and all that it stands for," Itachi said at last. "I love our clan and our mother just as much, but there was another reason why I did what I did, someone else that I wanted to shield from it all."_

"_Who," Sasuke had demanded, still angry, still bitter. "Who was precious enough that you were willing to fight against our father!"_

Itachi had looked at him for a long moment, and smiled sadly. There were a mass of emotions visible from those onyx eyes before he used the Shunshin no Jutsu to disappear in a whirl of smoke and leaves. It would take Sasuke some time before he realised who his elder brother was talking about. He was talking about him. Then some time later he had just let it go. He hugged and apologised to his mother, and he apologised to Itachi. His brother had poked him on the forehead like he usually did, smiling slightly and calling him his 'Foolish Little Brother'.

The next week he heard that his big brother had officially resigned as an ANBU black ops, returning to his status as an elite Jōnin of the village. His mother too had re-entered service, regaining her rank as a Tokubetsu Jōnin. That had surprised Sasuke because he could never imagine his kind, serene, patient mother as a former Shinobi. He had never known, and when he asked his mother about it she laughed lightly and told him that it had been a secret.

For a time since the revolt Sasuke had been at a loss in what to do next. Then he realised something. The Uchiha clan needed to be able to prove themselves to the village if they wanted to survive. It was then that Uchiha Sasuke had made up his mind in what he was going to be. He would not be an avenger, wishing vengeance against his surviving family and the village. He couldn't bring himself to hate his big brother, who he idolised for so long, nor his mother who out of his two parents was the only one who really helped him.

He would be a redeemer. He would help redeem his clans' reputation. He would prove to the village that the Uchiha clan, young and old can be trusted again. He would be the best for that purpose.

Sasuke was so deep in thought he didn't realise his mother was there until she tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see her smiling down at him, and he smiled back. "I see you passed."

The young Uchiha smiled as he tapped his Hitai-ite, tied to his forehead, "First in my class."

She must have just returned from her mission, and rushed over to the academy to pick him up. Ever since she retook her position as a Shinobi he had noticed a change. She was more happy, more vibrant and cheerful.

Mikoto smile was still in place as she hugged her son, "Well done, Sasuke."

The youngest child returned her hug, "Thanks mom."

* * *

Yugito slurped up the last of her noodles, gave a happy sigh and set her chopsticks down in the empty bowl. She had to admit that although Ramen wasn't exactly her favourite food the stuff Ichiraku served was pretty good. She saw why Naruto came here as often as he could, not just for the food but because of the people who owned the stand.

Ichiraku Teuchi, an elderly man in his middle years and his daughter, a pretty young teenager called Ayame, listened intently as Naruto regaled them with the story on how he managed to pass the exam. Yugito liked the two of them. They were friendly, outgoing people who treated her and Naruto like anyone else. They even considered her adopted son to be their best customer, and when he came into their little stall showing off his Hatai-ite they gave him a large bowl of his favourite ramen, on the house.

"It's a good thing you passed Naruto-kun," Teuchi said with a chuckle, leaning against the counter as he talked to the young blonde in a grandfatherly sort of voice. "But don't take that as a sign for you to slack off. The real work begins tomorrow when you meet your instructor."

Naruto grinned broadly, "Yeah, I can't wait for that and I can't wait to see who I'm going to be put on a team with."

"Who do you want to be placed with?" Ayame asked with a smile.

Her adopted son took on a thoughtful stance before deciding. "I'm not sure, but I'd like to be placed with a few of my friends. Like Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji or Hinata."

Yugito listened in carefully. He could very well get his wish on the matter. Officially students were placed together on a system of a person on the top of the class alongside a middle achiever and someone who barely passed. It seemed like a good idea, evening out the teams so that everyone had a fair shot. Unofficially was another matter. Usually students who come from clan backgrounds were teamed together, the last two generations of Ino-Shika-Cho for instance. She knew Naruto was considered a clan kid. He was one of the last few survivors of the once infamous Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure.

"Naruto," she spoke up at last, flashing Teuchi and his daughter an apologetic look.

"Yeah mom,"

"You remember when I told you to hold back during the academy?"

He nodded his head, slurping down some noodles, "Yea."

"Don't talk with your mouth full sweetheart," she reprimanded easily, not missing the amused looks Teuchi and Ayame flashed them. "I'm rescinding that order." She sighed at his blank look, "That means I'm taking it back honey."

"Oh, right." Naruto replied thoughtfully, and then he grinned. "That means I can cut loose from now on right?"

She grinned in response, "Right, but there's just one thing. There will be one more test after you meet your Jōnin instructor, I'm not sure what it will be but I'm told that it has something to do with teamwork."

"Teamwork, gotcha," Naruto nodded his head, and then smiled that mischievous smile. "You got the info from Kakashi didn't you?"

Yugito gave him a bemused look before taking a drink of her soda, "Maybe."

"So have you asked him out yet?" Naruto asked innocently. The suddenness of the question caused the older blonde to choke on her soda, breaking out into a series of coughs.

"What?" she croaked. "What makes you think he's interested in me?"

Ayame gave her a disbelieving look, "Where to begin. He's obviously interested in you, what with all the glances he's given you when you weren't looking. You're drop dead gorgeous." She flushed slightly at the compliment, obviously not used to it. "The two of you are usually together during your spare time. The two of you have become an unofficial team since you became an honorary Shinobi of Konoha. The signs are so obvious you'd have to be a complete and utter moron not to notice them."

Yugito looked at her piercingly, "Where did you get all of this information?"

She smiled mischievously, tapping her nose with her index finger. "A good spy-master never reveals her secrets."

But Yugito already knew, and threw a gaze Naruto's way, making him stop slurping up his noodles and flinch. "Oh come on mom," he said as he swallowed his food. "Everyone has their own opinions about the two of you, I just told Ayame. You should hear some of the stuff Anko says."

"Anko, I should have known, but as for you. Don't talk with your mouth full. And there is nothing going on between me and Hatake Kakashi." She frowned at their disbelieving looks. "I mean it!"

Sure Kakashi was handsome, sure he was talented, sure the way he slouched drove her nuts and the way his eyes curled upwards when he saw her made her feel warm and secure. But there was no way he would be interested in someone like her. No one would ever be interested in someone like her. It was one of the curses of being a Jinchūriki, a vessel for a Biju, something that she had accepted many years ago. Maybe Naruto would get lucky and find someone who truly loves him despite his status. It was her greatest wish, but she was beyond that.

* * *

Naruto had arrived early and taken his seat on the middle tier of the classroom, proudly wearing his Konoha Hatai-ite for all to see. He was excited, so excited that he could barely sleep last night. After four years of the academy he was finally going to get his shot at becoming a Ninja, a Shinobi, just like his mom. It was something that he couldn't wait for, something that had him literarily bouncing off the walls in elation.

The time had come, and he would do her proud. He made that promise to her last night, and his Nindo was that he never went back on his word. Naruto had vowed to prove himself to not just his mother but the whole village as well. Prove to those that believed it that he wasn't a monster. He would prove his critics wrong, and it started right here, right now.

He found he wasn't the first to enter the class either. The rookie of the year had beaten him too it, Sasuke sat in his usual place, eyes staring at the front of the class with intensity. He looked around when Naruto entered. The rookie of the year's onyx eyes met the dead centre's azure for a few brief moments before the Uchiha nodded his head in greeting. Naruto hesitated, but nodded back as he walked down the central stairway and took his usual seat at the other side of the middle tier. From then on the two of them ignored each other, waiting for the last class of the academy to begin.

Slowly the rest of his classmates began to filter into the room, many grinning broadly and showing off their Hatai-ites. Of his friends Kiba came in first, Akamaru perched on his head, and sat down beside him. The two of them shared a grin before bringing their attention back to the front of the classroom. A few minutes later Chouji and Shikamaru entered. The Akimichi munching on his favourite potato chips while Shikamaru looked his usual, slouching self. The two of them took their seats to Naruto's left, saying hello.

The buildup to the beginning of the class was pretty uneventful. The class slowly filled up with fresh Genin, thirty boys and girls grinning and laughing and joking around as they all waited. Ino and Sakura entered the room a few minutes before the class was scheduled to start, pushing each other through the door before arguing on who got their first. They must have been doing one of their little competitions again. It wasn't long before the two were at Sasuke's side asking if they could sit with him.

"What's up with those girls," Kiba growled. "What's so great about Sasuke that they're all over him like that?"

"No idea," Naruto replied, petting Akamaru as he jumped from his owners lap to his. The puppy was more energetic than normal today. "As far as I can tell out of all the girls there is only one who hasn't joined the bandwagon of lunacy."

"And that would be?" Chouji asked, before a soft voice broke through the conversation.

"G-good morning,"

Naruto smiled as he turned around to see Hyuga Hinata take a seat a row above them. "Speak of the devil."

Kiba also looked up with a grin, "You know what you're right. Out of all the girls in this class Hinata here is the only sane one."

The compliment made the young Hyuga heiress blush, but she shook it off and smiled down at them. "Y-you guys couldn't sleep either?"

"Not a wink," Naruto grumbled.

"I was fine," Kiba laughed.

The door at the bottom of the class opened and Umino Iruka waltzed in, carrying a folder which obviously held the team assignments. Naruto immediately sat up in his chair, as did the small group of friends around him, except for Shikamaru. All remnants of conversation ceased when the Chūnin lecturer slammed the folder onto his pulpit, a mark for all to be silent. Newly minted Genin ended conversations and rushed to their chairs, waiting for their assignments to be handed out.

"Alright, roll call!" Iruka exclaimed, looking around. The next few minutes were filled in by their teacher calling out the names of the students, followed by said student answering an affirmative that he or she was present. When that was completed the Chūnin looked around, taking in the faces of each of his students.

"Look at you all. I remember that day four years ago when you all began here at the academy, and now here you all are, full Ninja of Konoha. You have no idea how proud your lecturers are in every single one of you. But don't take this as the end of your learning, for it is only the beginning. As Ninja there will be trials ahead that you must face and best." Iruka smiled as he looked over his students. "Now everyone listen up and listen well for I am going to announce the makeup of your Genin teams. As you are all aware the teams are set with three members and a Jōnin sensei. Once your teams have been called out we will break for a quick recess, then report back here for your new sensei's to pick you up, clear?"

"Yes sensei," the chorused.

"Alright, here we go." Iruka opened up the folder and pulled out a small handful of sheets. "The teams are as follows, team one-"

Naruto waited for rapt silence, silently hoping against a hope that he would be placed in a team with his friends. Maybe Kiba and Hinata, maybe Shikamaru and Chouji, he wasn't sure. As long as he wasn't placed with one of Sasuke's fan girls then he was sure he would be able to cope. Iruka continued to shout out the team numbers and names, some looked excited, others looked disappointed, but the best moment had to be when Team Sevens names were shouted out.

"Team seven." Iruka called out, "Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura and Uciha Sasuke!"

_THUNK!_

The noise was Kiba's head hitting off the top of his table. Luckily Hinata acted quickly and plucked Akamaru from his furious owners head before he was sent flying across the classroom like he had been launched from a catapult. Everyone was staring at the Inuzuka as he jumped to his feet, hitting his fist against the table. "Oh come on sensei, why did you put me with _him_!"

He was pointing angrily at Sasuke as he said it. Sakura looked indignant but Sasuke just looked like his usual uncaring self. Iruka spoke up before a fight could break out, if all the murderous glares from the Uchiha's fan base were any indication. "Uchiha Sasuke is the best student in the class, while you Inuzuka Kiba, are the worst student. It is common acceptance to place the best student with the worst student."

The class laughed at this, and Kiba, growling angrily fell back into his chair. Hinata placing his little white puppy back on his head. "This sucks."

"You were kind of asking for that one," Naruto snorted.

"Bite me,"

"Team Eight." Iruka yelled over the hushed conversations, "Aburame Shino, Uzumaki Naruto and Yamanaka Ino."

_THUNK!_

This time it was Naruto's head that made contact with the wooden surface, "Oh no."

Kiba laughed at him, patting his friends back. "You know what man, I take it back. Maybe a fan girl and a snobby brat are better than a fan girl and bug boy."

"Shino I don't mind," Naruto grumbled. "I can live with him as a teammate. It's Ino that I'll be having problems with."

He was surprised when the Yamanaka didn't jump to her feet and shout about the injustice of the team assignments. But all was silent and Iruka moved on to naming the three members of the next team. Naruto turned his head to look, and noticed that she looked more than a little disappointed. Sakura making a childish face her way didn't help much either.

Team Nine went by without a word of protest. Then Team Ten came up. "Team Ten. Nara Shikamaru, Hyuga Hinata and Akimichi Chouji."

Naruto leaned in to his two friends, knowing that Hinata was leaning forward as well. "I'll trade you Hinata for Ino."

Shikamaru opened a lazy eye, "No way."

"Yeah Naruto, good luck with her," Chouji added, not being helpful in the slightest.

"I hate all of you," he muttered.

"Alright that's the team assignments," Iruka called out, placing the papers back within the manila folder. "There will be a short recess of fifteen minutes, get to know your teams, then report here for your Jōnin sensei to collect you, dismissed."

* * *

It was a beautiful day. Not a cloud disturbed the infinite blue of the skies above. The temperature was mild and a nice cool breeze floated with the morning air. All around him he could hear the calls of nature, of hundreds of different species of insect from the bees and wasps pollinating flowers to the dragonflies doing their mating dance to the crickets chorusing in their early morning song. To be in the middle of nature was the most relaxing place for an Aburame to be.

The tiny creature crawled along the back of his hand, flexing its translucent black tipped wings and straightening its white abdomen. Shino knew the species the moment he saw it, a Whitetail Dragonfly, also known as a Long-Tailed Skimmer, very common in the Land of Fire. He watched it for a brief moment before it took off from his hand, flying into the distance.

It didn't just take off for any reason. Someone's approach had scared it. The Aburame looked up in time to see a familiar blond boy walk towards him, and immediately knew him as Uzumaki Naruto. One of the people he had been placed on a team with. Shino had nothing against this boy. He was in the middle of his class and was shown to try hard in almost everything he did. Uzumaki Naruto may at times be a little loud and over exuberant but when push came to shove he did what he had to do.

"Shino," he greeted with a nod.

"Naruto-san," the Aburame greeted in return, raising his eyebrows at the scowl he saw, followed by a shake of the head.

"Just call me Naruto. I don't like any of that honorific stuff."

Shino nodded his head, "Very well, Naruto."

He sat down beside Shino, and for a while the two were silent with only the song of the crickets as company, finally Naruto spoke, leaning back to look up at the cloudless sky. "So we're going to be on the same team?"

"Indeed,"

"And I decided to introduce myself ahead to you, try to get to know you a little better."

"That is a logical conclusion," Shino agreed.

Naruto frowned a little, used to people who spoke their mind more to people who remained quiet. "So what's your opinion on the team makeup?"

Shino was silent for a moment, seemingly in deep thought. Though with that high collar and sunglasses covering most of his face it was difficult to tell. "It is a logical setup. The team has a reconnaissance specialist in me, a close to mid-range fighter in you and a long range fighter in Yamanaka-san."

Naruto thought about that for a moment, realising that on paper their team was well rounded, not specialist in anything but more along the lines of a jack-of-all-trades setup. He hadn't thought about it from that angle, all he thought about was getting on a team with a couple of his friends. "Hmm, I never thought of it from that angle."

Shino didn't respond, instead raising his head to look at his new teammate. "Where is Yamanaka-san?"

Naruto shrugged, "Probably fuming about how she didn't get on the same team with her beloved Uchiha. I'd stay clear of her until she calms down."

Shino nodded, noticing Naruto sighing before placing a bag on his lap and pulling out a small bento box. "So I suppose we should start asking questions about each other, get to know each other better."

Shino nodded, "Another logical step."

"Okay," Naruto grinned, opening his box, and removing a set of chopsticks. "What's your favourite colour?"

* * *

The recess passed by fairly quickly and both Naruto and Shino returned to the classroom just before the bell rang. Most of the other students had already arrived, new teams all sitting beside or hovering nearby each other. His few minutes of questions and answers with his new teammate had left plenty more, well, questions than answers. Ten to fifteen minutes later and he still felt like he had gotten nowhere at all. Shino was quiet and guarded, just like the rest of his clan.

Naruto saw Ino at the back of the class and with a nod to Shino walked up the central steps towards their wayward teammate. They sat down beside her, Naruto to her right and Shino to her left, and for the next few minutes sat in a slightly uncomfortable silence. Suddenly the Yamanaka spoke, straightening in her seat and closing her eyes as she talked in a very matter-of-fact way. "Okay, if this team is going to work out you two are going to have to do exactly as I say."

Both boys looked over at her. Shino's eyebrows vanishing into his mess of black hair, Naruto's eyebrows did likewise, but didn't reach that far. He answered her statement with a very eloquent, short response. "Huh?"

She sent him a mild glare, "Don't give me that, if this team is going to survive it needs a team leader, and that team leader will be me?"

"How do you figure that?" the other blond in the team said a little indignantly.

"It does seem a little premature to be choosing a leader at the present," Shino added.

Ino groaned, falling back against her chair, "Hopeless, the both of you."

They waited in an uncomfortable silence until the class bell rang, and over the course of the next five minutes a couple of Jōnin teachers entered the room, collected their teams and left. It wasn't long before their sensei arrived. In fact he was the third to arrive. The sound of the sliding door grabbed the attention of every team, and hushed whispers of awe filled the tiered classroom.

The man wore the typical attire of a Konoha Jōnin. Black fatigues bearing the mark of the leaf on his shoulders, green Chūnin flak vest, Shinobi sandals, a kunai pouch on his right thigh and what looked like a Ninja-to sheathed diagonally across his back. He was definitely an Uchiha by his flowing black hair that hung near his cheeks to frame his face, pale skin and deep onyx eyes. His face, while youthful also had a hint of maturity to it, especially the lines under his eyes.

Naruto felt he knew him from somewhere, but couldn't quite remember. Then he remembered, that time four years ago when he was captured by those Nuke-nin. He remembered him as one of two Uchiha who had attempted to save him that day. His mother told him their names soon after he was rescued, what was it?

Uchiha Itachi swept the tiers of awestruck students with serious onyx eyes, "Team Eight, Aburame Shino, Uzumaki Naruto, and Yamanaka Ino. Follow me please!"

* * *

_**Back to Normal**_

"Moooom, where are we going?"

Yugito sniggered at her adopted little brother/son's whining tone as she led him through the well worn path. The eight year old appeared to have completely recovered from the ordeal, which she was eternally grateful for. So much had happened since then with the Uchiha Clan Revolt, her sister returning to Kumo under heavy ANBU guard to present the Raikage her evidence and the Nuke-nin eventually being set free thanks to their assistance. She had heard that A-sama had acted swiftly, rounding up those within Sakamoto's clan who supported him and executing several of the ringleaders. The bastard himself had vanished from Kumogakure before the Raikage's ANBU could arrive, and hadn't been heard from since

Shaking the thoughts from her head Yugito surveyed the terrain. On either side of the duo were two meter high fences of barbed wire, separating training grounds which usually only fully qualified Shinobi were allowed to enter. Huge Fire Country trees stretched up well beyond their heads, canopies leaving a thin area of free space for the sun to shine through. These were where Jōnin instructors took their Genin teams, and where Chūnin and Jōnin elites came to practise.

She needed to thank the Sandaime for allowing her to take him out here. She was aware of the two ANBU agents shadowing them from the thick branches of the trees above. Yugito didn't mind their presence, after two months living here she had gotten used to them.

"Have a little patience Cub," she chastised lightly, flashing him a mischievous smile when he clasped his hands behind his head and frowned at her. "You'll love it, I promise."

Naruto had narrowed his eyes to the point where it seemed he had closed them, but she didn't mind that. It usually meant the little guy was either thinking of something or trying to act cool. At the moment she guessed on the latter. They continued to walk, Yugito mentally counting off the numbers at each training ground entrance one by one until she reached the one set aside for them. Training ground twenty three.

"Here we are," she proclaimed loud enough for him to hear. "Stay close to me, okay?"

He nodded his head as they entered the training field, Yugito opening the padlock and pushing open the wrought iron gates. They walked through a well made path until the duo reached their destination. After two months of practising with Anko, Kurenai and Yugao she had gotten a basic idea of the layout of most training fields. The majority of them, excluding special cases like the Forest of Death, were surrounded by old trees, usually sycamore, with a large open area of grassland. All of them had training posts and streams, the veins of water usually manmade and running from a huge river several kilometres away from the village.

Yugito walked with an awed Naruto until they reached the very centre of the clearing. She looked over at the younger Jinchūriki and smiled at his curious expression. "This is training ground twenty three, and as you've already guessed its one of the training grounds that the Konoha Shinobi use." Her smile grew as his curious expression once again became awestruck. "I've asked Hokage-sama to lend this out to me because I'm about to teach you something new and something I want you to keep secret, understood?"

He nodded his head frantically.

"Okay," she began. "First we'll go through the usual exercises to loosen up the muscles. Then I want you to show me how far along you are in the tree climbing exercises, depending on how you do I won't show you this new exercise?"

Once again he nodded, head bopping up and down.

They began with the usual stretches, Yugito joining him to loosen up her own muscles. No matter what anyone tells you three months of non-activity is pure murder to a Shinobi and after a while you're literally bouncing off the walls. She was thankful that her three associates, or should she call them friends, had invited her to their training sessions, but they were all either high level Chūnin or Jōnin, and as such they had missions which could take days, even weeks to accomplish. As such the training sessions she had with Naruto were a godsend, giving her the chance to do something useful.

They had gained a routine since coming to Konoha. After Naruto finished the academy she would come to pick him up and take him to the academy's training fields to continue his studies under her tuition. She would see what he leaned first, expanding from where his tutors left off. She had actually been a little worried that his teachers would be prejudiced against him at first, but found to her relief that wasn't the case.

It was during the weekends, like this beautiful Saturday morning, where she would really start training him. The sessions during the week were a warm up compared to Saturdays and some Sundays. Naruto didn't really mind, in fact he enjoyed his training sessions with her, mainly because she continued to teach him the Taijutsu art of the Kuroi _Tora_, as well as training him to the peak of physical fitness with physical exercises that pushed him to his limits, which he liked to breach.

They spent an hour going through basic physical exercises including push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups jogging, running, balancing exercises and other such exercises before moving onto a couple of hours of Taijutsu training. Here Yugito was impressed as she and Naruto went through the kata of the fighting art. He had come a long way from the kid she remembered, continuing to match her fluent motions with precision.

When noon came she sat down in the shade of a tree, enjoying a simple lunch with her adopted son before asking him to show her how far he had come in his chakra control exercise. Naruto showed her, running up and down the trunk of a rather tall tree without faltering or losing his step. Yugito sat cross-legged, taking a sip of her green tea before looking up at his grinning visage.

"Very good," she approved simply, before raising the cup to her lips and, just before taking a sip said. "Do it again. Don't give me that look, another four times before I show you the next step."

He frowned but nodded, repeating the motion another four times, running up the thick trunked tree, touching its tip at the top before turning around and running back down. By the time he was finished he was bent over, panting to regain his breath as he looked to her expectantly.

"Well done Cub, now I have no choice in the matter."

He fell to a sitting position in an attempt to regain his breath as she rose fluently to her feet and walked past him towards the stream. She stopped at the riverbank, turning to him and giving him a 'come hither' flexing of her right hands middle and index fingers. He obeyed, and when he was paying attention she brought her hands together in a basic sign, gathering her chakra and channelling it to the soles of her feet before taking a step into the flowing water. She walked until she was standing in the middle of the stream, and then turned around to face her adopted son, smiling at his shock.

"I am going to show you how to walk on water, so listen up Cub and listen well," she said, smile slowly morphing into a grin. "Because this is something that all the Jōnin and Kage level Shinobi know like the back of their hand."

The moment she said that she knew she had him.

* * *

_**Author's Note 1: **_Strange combination, but I thought it would be a challenge to try out. I was originally going for Kiba, but thought that he would serve better as Naruto's replacement for Team Seven. I basically decided on these two because I think it hasn't been tried before, Shino, Naruto and Ino. Should be an interesting challenge to try and write about. And I also choose Itachi as the Jōnin-sensei because it just kind of felt right to me, don't know why. I'm also aware that I'm breaking up Ino-Shika-Cho, just decided on a change of pace from the usual way.

_**Author's Note 2: **_As for the Omake. Well I was originally planning a chapter before this, about certain events which took place between the timelines of the Acts. Then I began to get bored of writing it and scrapped it so I could begin this new Act. So instead I'm going to introduce the segments in Omake's for now.

_**Author's Note 3: **_Thank you everybody for your support of this story, and letting me know that support with it hasn't waned all that much with time. For anyone wandering about any of my other stories I stress you all to be patient, it depends on which direction my muse wants to go and right now he's on a non-crossover Naruto binge, lol


	13. Chapter 12: The Real Exam

_**Chapter 12**_

_**The Real Exam**_

To say that Sasuke was surprised to see his brother could be considered the understatement of the century. Sure he knew his brother had been drafted by the Hokage for something, but the young Uchiha had thought that it was for another high ranked mission. Just because his brother wasn't a member of ANBU anymore didn't mean that he wasn't on the short list to perform A and S-class assignments for the old man.

Sasuke had absolutely no idea that the reason Itachi was in his usual deep thought state-of-mind was not because of a high level mission request, but because the Hokage had asked him to be a sensei to a Genin team. A cold chill went up Sasuke's spine. What if Itachi had been chosen to lead his team? Sasuke loved his brother, but he also wanted to get out of his shadow and be his own Ninja, and he wasn't able to do that if his brother turned out to be his Jōnin-sensei.

He noticed his brother's eyes sweeping across the tiered class, settling on him for a moment, then moving on. Sasuke couldn't take the suspense. If he was placed under his brother then he wouldn't have his chance to redeem the clan's reputation to the village. He wouldn't be able to strike out on his own as a Shinobi and become something of his own making.

"Team Eight, Aburame Shino, Uzumaki Naruto, and Yamanaka Ino. Follow me please!"

Just like that all of the tension left the young Uchiha's shoulders and he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to be placed under his brother. He wasn't going to continue being in his shadow. He still had a chance to prove himself not just to the clan but the entirety of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Sakura leaned forward, colour flowing into her cheeks. "Hey Sasuke, wasn't that-"

"Yes," Sasuke replied through gritted teeth before she could finish. He may not have his own brother as a teacher, but he still had to put up with a fan-girl and a loud mouthed brat and his yapping dog. He at least hoped his teacher was punctual.

* * *

Ino was having a pretty bad day in her opinion. When the twelve year old Yamanaka heiress woke up this morning she had been full of hope. Now that she had passed her exams and gained her Hatai-ite she was now an official Shinobi of Konoha, a Genin level Ninja. She had hoped she would be placed on the same team as her crush, Uchiha Sasuke, and show him that unlike the others she was worthy of his attention.

The whole dream had fallen apart, and she was livid over what had actually happened. First was that instead of her being on Sasuke's team her one time friend and current rival for his affection, Haruno Sakura, was. The thought of the pink haired girl getting such an advantage was more than enough to bring her blood to a simmer. Then she had heard which team she had been placed on, and that simmer had slowly turned into an outright boil.

While Sakura seemed to hit the jackpot with Sasuke she had hit rock bottom with the teammates she had been assigned to. The only worse possibility was that if she had been placed with that lazy bum Shikamaru and his friend Chouji. Ino supposed she could thank the ancestors for small mercies. Her teammates were Aburame Shino, known as Bug Boy to the class, and Uzumaki Naruto, a loud, obnoxious, prank playing idiot.

Ino was not a squeamish person by nature, but the rumours about the Aburame clan being living hives for specialised insects really sent a chill up her spine, and not in a good way. Like most girls her age she didn't like bugs, had a small fear of them in fact, though thanks to her father's mental training she could reign in her fear until one got right in her face. Shino was also quiet, too quiet, and she didn't think it was because he was shy.

In complete opposite to Shino was her other teammate, Uzumaki Naruto. It was almost like the two of them were different sides of a coin. Compared to the Aburame the Uzumaki kid was loud, obnoxious at times although not outright attention seeking, and until about a year ago was known with some trepidation as one of the best pranksters of his year. Famous for setting up remote control activated paint bombs in Mizuki-sensei's office, this strangely enough was his last prank.

Ino's state of mind was running along the lines of her thinking she was doomed, completely and utterly. Then something happened which turned her thought processes around ever so slightly. Their sensei had arrived to collect them. It only took her a few seconds to recognise him as an Uchiha, a few seconds later to realise he was Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, considered a prodigy to the entire clan. The seventeen year old looked a lot like his little brother, except for his hair being a duller black and less messy and his face showing stress lines under his eyes.

"Team Eight, Aburame Shino, Uzumaki Naruto, and Yamanaka Ino. Follow me please!"

Ino squealed internally, maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

They were led down the corridor and up the stairs to the second floor, taking the first vacant classroom they could find. It wasn't a surprise to find the room empty, most other classes had taken the day off because of the Genin team assignments. Itachi walked until he reached a desk and promptly sat on it, looking up with onyx eyes to survey the three young Genin in front of him.

He recognised the girl as being from the Yamanaka clan. Her blonde hair, pale skin and pupil-less light blue eyes told him as much, usual trait for females within that clan. The first boy was also easy to identify as a member of the Aburame clan, mainly by the heavy coat with a high collar and sunglasses that he wore. The former ANBU agent could also pick up the slightest of buzzing noises from his direction. The boys hive of insects. The third one he also recognised, though it took him a while to remember. Every Shinobi above a certain age or with the rank of Jōnin knew of him as the Jinchūriki to the Kyubi no Yoko, as well as his parentage and status as the last of the Uzumaki clan.

"Have a seat," he gestured and the three kids hesitantly took chairs around him. They obviously knew about him, at least the girl did by the look of awe she gave him when he entered the room. "From this point on I will be your Jōnin sensei. It will be my responsibility to transform you all from academy students into a team of competent Shinobi. Now I want you to tell me a little bit about yourselves."

It was the girl who spoke, with a slight tinge of colour on her cheeks. "What would you like to know, sensei?"

"Your name, likes and dislikes, dreams for the future," Itachi listed off simply. This was considered tradition in Konoha every time a Jōnin took on a Genin team. This question had been made an unofficial rule since the villages founding. "Perhaps I should start. My name is Uchiha Itachi. I enjoy training, visiting traditional cafes and the peace of the village. I dislike the ignorant and deceitful. My dream is for a world without needless war and bloodshed. Now it's your turn, we'll start with you."

He nodded to Ino, who started and blushed. "O-okay," she cleared her throat and spoke. "My name is Yamanaka Ino. I like flower arranging, shopping and... a certain boy, and I dislike gaining weight. My dream is." She giggled slightly before shaking her head. "Not telling."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. So this was Yamanaka Ino. Sasuke had complained about her and a number of other girls in his class quite a bit. He had read her report and knew that out of the three Genin assembled she was the one with the highest grades, in fact hers were some of the highest in the academy. The girl had considerable potential and he needed to guide her away from her fascination with Sasuke, get her to start training a little more seriously.

"Alright, you're next," he looked to Shino and the Aburame rose, raising a hand to push his sunglasses up his nose.

"My name is Aburame Shino," he spoke clearly and seriously. "My hobby is to study insects and find new varieties that haven't been catalogued by my family yet. I dislike people who kill insects for no reason. My ambition is to learn all of the Aburame bloodline jutsu and then develop my own techniques with the help of my allies."

Itachi nodded his head, finding that he liked this kid. His grades were even, if a little further down the ladder than most and his ambitions were solid and within his means. He had also checked up on this child and found that while he was good at using his family's Jutsu he lacked in Taijutsu and Genjutsu, something Itachi was going to improve upon.

Finally his eyes settled upon the third and final member of the new Genin cell, and he nodded his head, "Your turn."

Naruto grinned and nodded, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like Ramen, training and...uh, gardening." He whispered the last word as if hoping that it was low enough for the others not to notice, evidently he had failed. Shino's eyebrows rose slightly and Ino's eyes widened before they narrowed in a scrutinising look. "I dislike ignorant people who try to hurt me or my family and my dream is to be the greatest Shinobi I can be, to earn the respect of everyone in the village."

Itachi nodded, allowing a small smile to form on his face. According to the academy report Uzumaki Naruto was dead centre in the class, not terrible but not brilliant either. He did excellent on physical classes like Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and survival but lagged behind in more thought related topics like maths and science. The Uchiha prodigy saw potential in him, but decided to stand back and see how he would go about bringing it out in the open.

"Very good," Itachi said as he rose from his sitting position. "You each are your own person, have a diverse array of opinions and very interesting dreams for the future, but there is one final test that you need to pass before I allow you to continue on to become fully fledged Genin."

All three looked surprised, apart from Naruto who seemed like he had been expecting it. Itachi wasn't surprised. The boy was the adopted son of a Jōnin Kunoichi after all. It was Ino who raised her hand, looking at him closely. There was definitely intelligence behind those pupil-less eyes. "Sensei, what kind of test do we need to pass?"

Itachi looked at her for a moment, before allowing a small smile to grace his usually stoic expression. "Consider it a survival exam, but there will be something I will be looking for in each of you if you are to pass. If you fail you will be sent back to the academy for another year, so take this seriously. We will meet at training ground fifteen at eight in the morning, do not be late. You are dismissed."

He disappeared in a flurry of wind and leaves, leaving a befuddled Team Eight in its wake. A moment of silence passed before Naruto spoke, but it was more of a murmur. "I gotta see if Mom will teach me how to do that."

* * *

Itachi reappeared in the main hallway of the first floor and sighed. The team he had been given showed potential, but it would take some serious work to bring it out in the open, and that was only if they passed his own exam, and he wasn't even sure how to go about it. He supposed he could use the same exercise Kakashi was using, but he wanted something with his own mark on it.

He rolled his shoulders as he walked down the corridor towards the stairs, still thinking until the sliding door to his left blew open and a slender arm grabbed the front of his vest, dragging him into the empty classroom as the door slammed shut behind him. He was pushed against the wall forcefully and a pair of full lips collided with his own, tongue begging for entrance. It took Itachi but a moment to reciprocate and for a while he duelled with his attacker before turning the tables, using his superior strength to spin them around and press his assailant against the wall, right hand moving with lightning quickness to pin her arms above her head.

"Hmm, you're stealth has improved, Midori." He whispered into the shell of her ear, happy when she shuddered under his breath. "I didn't feel you're presence until you opened the door."

"Liar," she smirked, kissing him on the tip of his nose before he darted forward, lips pressing together as the two fought. Itachi had already won, but that didn't stop him from relinquishing a bit of control. She managed to push him back two inches before he pressed her against the thin wall. His hands going to her hips, her right hand pressing the back of his head forward while her left circled around his back.

An eternity passed before the two lovers parted ways, panting for breath. Itachi leaned forward, breathing in the softly scented skin of her neck. God how her aroma of strawberries drove him crazy, how her heaving chest now pressed against his felt so right. How that smirk made him want to rip her clothes off and ravage her until she could no longer move.

"So," she uttered between heaving breathes, a small smile playing across her full lips. "How was your day?"

"Much better," he replied, taking a deep breath and stepping back, serious persona already in place. Midori raised a delicate black eyelash as he took her hand and led her to a chair. "The three of them are young and inexperienced, but there is potential in them. With the right approach they will become a fine group of Ninja."

"Mm," she smiled mischievously. "I told you that already."

"Indeed you did," Itachi replied as he sat down beside her, marvelling at how this young woman had returned his humanity to him ever since they began this little affair. The two of them had been hurt and suffering following the revolt, and sought comfort in each other's arms. Over time they began to heal each other's wounds, emotional and physical. "And I believe you were right about the two males, Shino and Naruto. I think they were holding back in the academy."

She grinned, "Told you. They were good at hiding it from me, but there were times in class where that Uzumaki kid pulled off a subtle move that wasn't part of the Taijutsu I was teaching. That Nii woman has definitely been teaching him her style, and asking him to keep quiet about it."

"It's admirable how she has already made him think like a Shinobi," Itachi agreed. "I can see him pulling off a couple of surprises during the test."

"Know how to go about it yet," his lover asked in a soft, seductive voice. Leaning forward until she was within a few millimetres of Itachi's mouth. The prodigy smirked and poked her on the forehead. "Owe!"

"I'm not sure," he replied, lifting an eyebrow in amusement when she pouted and stuck out her tongue in a raspberry.

"Then just do what Kakashi-senpai does," she reprimanded slightly. "It's a tried and proven technique. It works."

"That it does," he nodded in agreement. "But I want to use something of my own design."

She groaned.

"What?"

"Something of your own design will have those poor kids going through an ANBU level field test," Midori told him bluntly. "I don't want to tell their parents 'sorry but my boyfriend killed your kids'."

He frowned, "I wasn't going to do that."

She smiled teasingly, "_Sure._"

"Okay then," he replied. "What would _you_ do?"

"You're asking _me_? I'm still a Chūnin."

"You're a Chūnin who could pass the Jōnin exam in a heartbeat if you weren't so set on teaching." Itachi replied with a smirk.

"No way, I like teaching," Midori smirked in response. "Its way more fulfilling than those boring missions they make us do."

He shook his head, "Do you have the folder?"

"Right here," she replied, picking it up from the next table and handing it to him. "All of the academy information on those three kids, grades, abilities, predictions and charts, just like you asked. Though if you're right then these are pretty much useless."

"More than likely, but they will give me a basic outline in their strengths and weaknesses, and how to counteract them." Itachi replied, already opening the manila folder and flicking through the pages within.

"The information from first year is useless," Midori informed with a scowl. "That asshole Mizuki wasn't just sabotaging test scores but lagging seriously behind on his paperwork as well. When I saw his notes I wanted to tear my hair out."

"Why?"

"Poor grammar." She clarified. "Couldn't understand half of what he wrote."

* * *

It wasn't difficult for Naruto to rise early in the morning. It was normal procedure for him to rise with the sun and do an hour of exercises and stretches with his mother before he headed off to the academy. The training had helped him in not just his chakra control and fighting ability but his biological clock as well, meaning he could rise with the sun without a need for an alarm clock.

He arrived five minutes early to the designated place. Training ground fifteen was a standard run-of-the-mill training ground as far as Konoha was concerned. Heavy forested woodland with a large patch of flat grassland in the centre, a stream ran along the northern edge of the space, but it was the centre which made the difference. A tall oak tree stood proud and tall, a black sheep among the surrounding sycamore and right in front of it were three training posts.

Naruto walked to the huge oak and lay down against it, waiting patiently for the rest of his team and his new sensei to arrive. The Uzumaki wasn't sure of what to think of the legendary Uchiha Itachi. He seemed exactly what the stories depicted him to be, stoic, cold, calculating and efficient. He said what he needed to say during their first meeting in that classroom, no more, no less. He had told his mom about his new sensei, and she gave him a quizzical look. Yugito didn't have much trust in the Uchiha clan, who could really blame her with their first meeting being with Fugaku. Still she admitted that they were changing, and that she respected Itachi for his ability and skill.

Shino was the first to arrive, barely a minute after he settled down. The Aburame nodded in the blond's direction, which Naruto returned, before he leaned against the trunk beside him, arms crossed and head lowered. Ino arrived a few minutes later, looking moody and a little rushed. Naruto didn't press her, well aware of the horrors an annoyed girl could have in store for anyone who got on her bad side. Shino seemed to have the same idea.

The moment his watch struck nine there was a sudden small scale cyclone of wind and leaves, and their new sensei stood right in front of them, almost as if he appeared out of the air itself. He looked at the three of them, and nodded his head.

"Good, you all made it on time. Now we can begin the examination, so listen up for I will only explain this once." He reached into his pant pocket and extracted two small bells, tied to thin cords of string. He held them up high for all to see, the small metal pieces ringing from the movement. "This is an old test and a favourite among Jōnin. You must take these bells from me if you wish to pass. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill then you will never be able to take them from me. You can use any method you wish, including Jutsu and weapons, and to make it fair I will _not_ be using my Sharingan."

"Hold on a second," Ino exclaimed. "There are three of us but only two bells!"

"Yamanaka-san is correct," Shino agreed. "With two bells instead of three it appears that you are attempting to pit us against each other."

"Precisely, only two of you can gain these bells, the one who fails will not just be sent back to the academy but will also be tied to one of those three stumps over there and go without lunch." He had to thank Kakashi-senpai for this idea, sure it wasn't overly creative but it was effective, and way better than any of his, as Midori put it_, ANBU training courses_. He stopped the rare smile from forming as he clipped the two bells to his utility belt. "You have until midday to take these bells from me. If you can't get one then the three of you go back to the academy."

Naruto and Ino gulped at that statement, Shino remained stoic and unreadable, except for the rising of his eyebrows. "I will give you another handicap. While you search for good hiding positions I will close my eyes and count to ten. Remember a golden rule of Shinobi is to remain unseen and unheard. Now begin!"

He closed his eyes and began to count, and once he opened his eyes again the three young Genin were gone. Itachi took a few steps forward, perking his ears and looking for any signs of movement, indented earth or crushed grass. It took him five seconds to get a brief idea of where his Genin had gone. Two had taken the chance to vanish into the forest, hiding under bushes or behind the sycamore most likely, but one was bolder, deciding instead to hide in the thick upper foliage of the oak tree. He could guess which one.

* * *

It didn't take long for Naruto to realise that his choice of hiding place probably wasn't the best idea. The oak tree in the centre of the clearing which stood out like a sore thumb would obviously be the first place Itachi-sensei would look. Silently he cursed under his breath before looking back at the spot where his Jōnin instructor was standing.

Only he wasn't standing there anymore.

"Ah damn it," he whispered to himself just as a shadow fell upon him from behind. He turned in time to see his sensei looking down at him, right eyebrow raised in amusement. "Not the best hiding place huh?"

"Indeed," Itachi agreed before his right hand slipped through the blonds defences, landing a perfect strike to his solar plexus. Naruto gagged as he fell from his branch to the ground below. The body hit the ground before promptly popping into a mass of white smoke. Itachi smirked. So Midori was correct. The boy did know Kage Bunshin. "Of course, planting a decoy in an obvious place is basic textbook for an ambush."

Four shadows appeared at his feet and he looked up in time to see four identical copies of Naruto Uzumaki dive down at him from the higher branches. Itachi jumped back, performing a backward somersault in midair before landing on his feet. The four clones continued their descent, landing in crouches at the base of the tree, drawing kunai from their thigh holsters.

"There's definitely more to you than meets the eye, Naruto-kun."

All four clones grinned, and spoke in unison. "You haven't seen anything yet."

Hidden in the trees Shino watched the encounter with his eyes, and listened to their conversation with the insects he planted in their clothes. He listened carefully, getting more impressed with the dead centre of the class with every second he witnessed the confrontation. Already Uzumaki Naruto had bested his expectations. The Aburame hadn't expected anything more than basic academy Jutsu and manoeuvres, and a few seconds into the confrontation he not only planted a decoy for their sensei but also created three clones, full solid clones, shadow clones for a textbook ambush. The Aburame could have sworn Uzumaki was asleep during the lecture, perhaps he was wrong.

At the other side of the clearing, hidden in a mass of bushes Ino also watched the confrontation, opinion of her teammate going up by a few points. She always considered Naruto as a boy who wasn't terrible in class but wasn't brilliant either. He knew the academy Taijutsu. He knew the basic E-rank Jutsu that they taught, but other than that she thought he didn't know much else. It seemed she was wrong.

Quickly the four Naruto's surrounded their instructor, muscles tense and pent up like a quartet of springs. Itachi simply stood in the centre, head bowed, eyes closed, face calm, waiting. They moved in unison, charging him from north, south, east and west. Itachi waited until they were within a few feet of him, then he moved. The Uchiha prodigy jumped, grabbed the kunai hands of north and south and used his weight to force them down. The two blonds smashed into each other heads first and vanished in two explosions of smoke. He then performed a hand stand, lashing out in a perfect split kick, striking east and west right on the jaws. They vanished in a duo of explosions as they spun in midair.

Itachi's brow furrowed, all four of them were clones.

So where was the real one?

He didn't have much time to ponder the thought, for another wave of clones was already rushing towards him from the direction of the oak tree. Eight this time. Itachi backpedalled as the clones neared, sidestepping and dodging the first threes attempt to grapple him and lashed out with his right foot, smashing into the side of the face of the fourth, then ducked the high kick of the fifth. The Uchiha grabbed the clone's outstretched leg and threw him right into the throng of three clones he had already dodged. They went down in a heap, vanishing in a mass of white smoke a few moments later.

Five down.

The other three had used the chance to surround him, and charged right at him in unison. Itachi fell back into a basic stance and waited until the first was within range. He blocked the first's fist with his hand, lashing out with his right foot at the one behind him, feeling the sole of his sandal hit a chest and destroying him. At the same time he lashed out with an open handed palm strike, connecting with the first's chest and popping him. Finally he ducked a punch from the third, retaliating with a simple uppercut to his chin.

The first wave had lasted three seconds.

The second wave had lasted ten seconds.

"Very good Naruto-kun," he whispered as he looked around, not a trace of weariness visible, "very good indeed. But now I know where you are."

He had used the Shunshin so much that making the hand signs was as natural as breathing, and the next moment he had transported himself from the ground right into the thick oak tree, standing right behind his most fascinating student. The blond slowly turned his head, flashing a nervous smile.

"Ah, hi Sensei."

"Naruto,"

"Yes?"

"Take a bath."

"Wha-Gah." Before Naruto could even think he had been thrown off the tree, sent falling right towards the stream several meters away. He wasn't even sure how the Jōnin had sent him flying, but he guessed he was grabbed and thrown like one would throw a tennis ball. Quickly the blond corrected his course so that his feet would be the first that hit the stream and concentrated his chakra just like his mom had taught him. Concentrate the chakra to the soles of the feet. Too little and it won't work. Too much and it'll send you flying.

Concentrate

Concentrate

_Concentrate_

Now!

He hit the water and skidded across the surface, leaving a groove in the once relatively flat surface that closed up barely a second after he sped past. Naruto skidded to a halt and rose to his feet, and then he took a step forward, sandaled feet sending ripples circling around his soles.

"Water walking," Itachi said. Naruto looked up to see the seventeen year old standing at the river bank, arms folded but eyes looking at him with a hint of disbelief and, was that respect. "Impressive, not many people your age could boast to being able to walk on water."

Naruto grinned, "Mom taught me this when I was eight. It's no big deal."

"Truly," Itachi replied with a raised brow. "I wonder what else your parent taught you."

"One of her first lessons was a Ninja works on deception," Naruto explained. "Always hiding his presence until when the opponent least expects it."

"Is that why you held back at the academy?"

"Yea,"

Itachi closed his eyes, and noticed that rare smile forming. "Your mother is a smart woman, Naruto-kun."

"Yea," Naruto replied with a grin. "She's pretty awesome, but you want to know what else she taught me?"

"What?"

"Never take a lull in an enemies defence for granted."

"Hmm," Itachi hummed, spinning around and delivering an opened hand strike to the chest of the clone behind him, realising its hand was an inch away from grabbing one of the bells on his belt. "What makes you think I was underestimating you, Naruto-kun?"

"Damn it," Naruto groaned. "I shouldn't have said that, should I?"

"It didn't help," Itachi agreed.

Within the blink of an eye Naruto was hurled through the air, falling into the stream with a monumental explosion of water and foam. Itachi walked serenely to the river bank, turned around and waited. He waited for over a minute, and then frowned when he noticed that the blond hadn't resurfaced. "Did I overdo it?"

* * *

Shino's brow furrowed as he searched the clearing for his vanished teammate, but two minutes passed and there was no sign of him. Itachi-sensei had relaxed his stance, though he could still see that he was on his guard, and there was no attack, no more clones, no more tricks, no nothing.

"Hey, Shino," The Aburame's head snapped to the right just in time to see Naruto crouch down beside him, azure eyes looking at their sensei with an intensity he had never seen from him before. Shino wondered how he was able to sneak up on him without being heard or seen. "I think I got this whole thing figured out."

Shino nodded his head, recovering quickly. "It's a test of teamwork."

Naruto flinched before sending him a hurt look, "Did I just do all that for nothing?"

The Aburame shrugged in reply, and the Uzumaki sighed. After a moment of silence the insect user continued, "He wants' to test us to see if we can work as a team, even if the situation seems inconvenient to do so."

Naruto nodded his head, "Yea, which means it doesn't matter if we get a bell or not, the real trick is showing him we can work together."

Shino nodded, "We should inform Yamanaka-san."

"Already done, I sent a Bunshin to tell her."

"Don't you mean a Kage Bunshin?" Naruto looked at him with slightly widened eyes. "Normal Bunshin has no effect on their surrounding environment, yours trampled grass and kicked up dirt, and when they were hit they didn't just vanish but explode. All signs of a Kage Bunshin."

Suddenly the blond grinned, "You were holding back."

"As were you," Shino countered simply.

The blond shrugged, "Look underneath the underneath."

* * *

Yamanaka Ino had been called many things during her time in the academy, but despite what the girls who didn't like her said she was not stupid. Being from a Shinobi clan gave her a perspective other children from mainly civilian backgrounds lacked. That was a rudimentary ability to look 'underneath the underneath'. To see what a person was really thinking compared to what they were doing.

Yet she had to admit that Naruto had eluded her and many others back in the academy. Sure he proved himself to have the potential to be quite capable, but nothing spectacular and nothing overly special. To pass the Genin examinations he needed to know the basic Jutsu, as well as have knowledge of mathematical and scientific equations civilian children of two to four years older would just be beginning to learn.

She had no idea he was capable of doing the things he did, summoning a platoons worth of Kage Bunshin, not _regular _Bunshin, Kage Bunshin. Being able to walk and even come up with a strategy on water's surface. He had kept Itachi-sensei busy for a couple of minutes more than she had thought him capable off. She was willing to admit he was more than met the eye.

"Hey, Ino,"

The Yamanaka squeaked in surprise before almost jumping to her feet, yet barely managing to remain hidden within the foliage. She turned her head and sent a glare to Naruto, causing him to frown back down at her in response. "What?"

"Me and Shino figured out what this test is all about,"

Ino's glare slowly turned into a frown as Naruto crouched beside her, waiting for her to say something, anything. When she didn't he just shook his head and spoke. "Basically this whole thing is one big examination in how we work as a team."

"Then why the bells," she hissed the question, "If this is a test of teamwork why just hand out two?"

"You're the smartest Kunoichi in our year, think it through," he growled in response, causing another steel melting glare. "It's to test and see if we can work as a team, even if the situation isn't convenient in our minds for us to do so. Think of it this way. Why put us into three man cells if not to learn with field experience on how to work as a team?"

Ino wanted so much to punch a hole in his plan. To tell him the flaws in his thinking, yet she couldn't think of any. Everything Naruto said seemed to coincide perfectly with the situation, and it grated on her nerves to think that he realised this while she did not. Why would Itachi-sensei give them such a crazy test if he wasn't looking for something more than just their individual performance? The more she thought of it the more she wanted to curse until her throat became hoarse.

"Okay, let's say we go through with this idea of yours," Ino asked quietly, looking at him pointedly. "What if you're wrong?"

Naruto smiled slightly, maybe slyly. "Then I'll hand you and Shino the bells and volunteer to go back to the academy for another year."

Well there was no getting around that, "So what do you think we should do?"

He grinned, "What else, teamwork."

* * *

Itachi had to admit that he had been surprised by what he had seen so far in this examination, and that was only by seeing what one of his potential students had to offer. The Uchiha prodigy was the first to admit that he had underestimated his opponents on this round. He figured that out of the three potential Genin two of them had been holding back in the academy, and the other was one of the top students in her class.

The Uchiha admitted this as he walked to the bank of the small river and continued walking to the centre of the open space of the training field. He decided that one of his opponents would strike soon enough, and was willing to wait until one of them gained the nerve to make the attempt. But a half an hour later Itachi came to the conclusion that the three Genin would not be making the first move.

He frowned at the thought, before shrugging and making his way into the surrounding woodland. Itachi wasn't worried about what awaited him within these thick clusters of sycamore trees. Either the three examinees would pass the exam or they would fail. There would be no middle ground here.

He walked into the woodland, strolling through the dense foliage and clusters of trees. He did not draw a weapon, nor activate his bloodline limit in the Sharingan eye. To do so would go against his word, and he knew that if he went against this sacred principle he would have no other choice than to take them on as his students by default. He had no delusions of doing so, so he kept his eyes dormant and used his most basic motor functions.

He walked and walked, searching with his eyes and ears for any sign of his three opponents. Several times he came across areas which would be perfect for an ambush, yet nothing happened, so he continued onward. He considered that he would find a sign of recent human movement in the area, and he was right, more so than he thought.

A single Naruto stood a good twenty meters away, half hidden between two sycamore trees. Itachi looked at the blond for a moment before taking off at a sprint. Naruto waited until he was halfway there then disappeared behind the tree to his left, leaving Itachi with no other alternative than to follow him around the trunk.

The moment he reached the target tree he heard a snap, followed by a gush of wind. He barely had a second to see the danger, yet he took the appropriate action to dodge it. The danger was a large chunk of wood, held up by strong thick vines, swinging down towards him at impressive speeds. Itachi jumped with a chakra enhanced leap, landing on the flying hulk of wood and performing a backward somersault towards a high rise tree branch. He crouched on the perch, watching as the swinging chunk slammed into a tree with enough force to shear through the bark.

Another series of snaps and whistles caught the attention of his ears, and he looked up just in time to see a small hail of kunai and shuriken hurling towards him, almost blocking out the sun with their number. Itachi jumped away, fully aware by the continuous thuds that the storm of weapons were burying themselves into the bark of tree and the dirt ground.

Itachi landed on the ground in a crouch, just out of range of the bombardment of projectiles. He felt the presence before it struck and spun around in time to block the attack by grabbing the wrist, well aware that the kunai his assailant held was a few inches away from his head. The Aburame was on the other end, still trying to use his strength to reach his goal.

Itachi acted fast, using his superior strength to push the kunai armed hand back before launching a powerful side chop at the child, aimed at his left side which was now vulnerable. His hand connected with flesh, then effortlessly ploughed through. The Aburame changing to blackness before his eyes before scattering into hundreds of different winged forms, within a moment he realised what he was looking at.

"Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu,"

It was a clone made up off a colony of insects, using a basic Genjutsu to make them appear as the user. Once the opponent was struck the insects used to make the clone scattered, only to be able to meet up and reform in another location. To the Aburame clan this was a basic technique that all Ninja in their clan was able to handle. To an outsider this was a perfect ambush technique.

More snaps, and more whistles signified yet more kunai being launched from makeshift catapults. Itachi looked up, saw the incoming cluster and jumped back, watching as they dug into the ground right in front of him. His back slammed against a tree, and the Uchiha prodigy was well aware of five kunai digging into his body, two in his right thigh, one into his abdomen, one into his right shoulder and a final one hitting smack in the middle of his chest. The fifth had a piece of paper tied to its ringed butt, already burning away. The paper-bomb exploded in a mass of smoke and fire.

Naruto and Shino jumped down from their hiding places and broke out into a sprint to where Itachi had been, worry written all over their faces, well with Shino it was hard to tell. "You don't think we killed him do you?"

The Aburame didn't answer, instead opting to just look at the dispersing smoke with an intense gaze. The blond of the duo fidgeted slightly. "Ah man this is so not good."

"Perhaps not," Shino replied as he pointed to the impact zone. The smoke had cleared sufficiently enough for them to see their handy work. The grass surrounding the impact was as black as charcoal, small sections still ablaze with dying embers. The tree where their supposed future sensei had been pinned too was in no better condition, but instead of seeing a charred body they saw a lump of wood. "It appears we have been deceived."

Naruto sighed in obvious relief, before the full gravity of the situation hit him. "Ah shit, we're in the open."

A sudden thud of something heavy made him turn, just in time to see Shino falling face first to the ground. Towering over him was Uchiha Itachi, with no sign of battle damage or injury, not a single hair was out of place, he was breathing normally and his uniform looked like it had been cleaned. He looked exactly the way he did when this exam started. "I must admit that I didn't expect the three of you to catch on quite so quickly. You have my respect."

He moved faster than the eye could see, and the last thing Naruto saw before he fell unconscious was a painful jab to the nerve endings on his shoulder. Darkness took him soon after.

"Idiots," Ino groaned from her hiding place. "What hopeless morons, leaving cover to see their handy work, hopeless."

"Ahem,"

She froze and looked up in time to see Itachi-sensei, looking down at her with a raised brow. "I take it that little series of traps was your doing, fine work."

A simple chop to the shoulder ended the test.

* * *

"This really bites," Naruto groaned as he struggled against his bindings with no luck. The three of them had awoken from their forced slumber to find themselves each tied to a training post, Naruto in the middle, Ino to his right and Shino to his left. And sitting on a flat rock in front of them was their instructor, lying back and having his lunch.

"Ah, you're all awake, good morning, or should I say good afternoon." Itachi greeted as he took a bite of salmon flavoured sushi.

All three of them paled at the statement, and Ino was the first to yell. "What do you mean good afternoon!"

He frowned at her, "Exactly what I meant. To be more precise it's five minutes past twelve. The three of you have been unconscious for the better part of two hours. Strange since I'm not so sure I hit you all that hard."

"Now then," Itachi said as he set his lunch down and gave the three of them a calculating look. "The exam is over. How would you all rate your performance?"

"Terrible," Ino groaned.

"Yea, for once I agree with her." Naruto added, ignoring her piercing glare. "We didn't get a bell. We didn't even come close to taking one from you."

"Indeed, we failed completely in this assignment." Shino finished.

"Hmm," Itachi hummed as he rose to his feet. "So that just leaves one question, which one of you will go back to the academy."

Silence prevailed for a moment before one of them spoke. It was Naruto, head bowed and a sigh escaping his lips. "Me, I'll go back."

"God you are so annoying with your self- sacrificing attitude," Ino growled at him, making him flinch before she settled a glare upon Itachi. "Naruto shouldn't be sent back for it. If anyone was the most useless in this exam it was me. Naruto and Shino did most of the grunt work, I only made the traps."

Naruto looked at the girl of the team with big owlish eyes, "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Ino."

"Bite me whiskers,"

"No, neither of them should be sent back." Shino spoke up, surprising the two. "I knew what we should have done before the test even began, yet instead of telling my allies I instead decided to keep it to myself."

"Enough," Itachi silenced them with a simple word as he looked at each of them. "I have made my decision, the three of you pass."

* * *

_**Assassins in the Night**_

He knew of the intruder's presence the moment they entered his home, asking the villages top seal expert to put security seals in place seemed to work to his advantage. Uchiha Itachi rolled out of his bed, missing the katana as it sliced through his pillow, and the mattress below. He unceremoniously hit the floor, rolled across the timber and jumped to his feet, kunai in hand as he faced his attackers.

There were three of them, silhouettes only visible thanks to the moonlight from his window, shadows hid their features but the former ANBU knew that they were at least Chūnin by their silhouettes. "Die traitor!"

Yes, definitely Chūnin, Itachi thought. No Jōnin would waste so much time with words during an assassination. He ducked the firsts stab and rolled to the side, giving him more distance against his attackers. It was during those brief few seconds that he activated his Sharingan eyes. Everything became so clear. His assassins were definitely Chūnin. He had seen them before, and none of them had any hope of ascending further in the ranks.

Itachi moved with ease and quickness born from extensive training and experience, ducking his first opponents swing and pouncing forward, stabbing the kunai into his ribcage. The man gasped in pain before Itachi stabbed him again with a second kunai, this one slicing across the main artery in his neck. The former ANBU jumped back as his opponent fell forward, blood spurting onto the floor and walls as he made it to the other side of his bed chamber, pulling his sheathed katana from its perch on his wall and drawing it in a smooth motion.

The two surviving assassins fell into combat stances, kunai ready as he held his blade in one hand and sheath in the other. The second Chūnin ran forward, slashing with his kunai, Itachi blocked the slash with the scabbard of his katana, watching as it cut a few millimetres into the black material before slashing out with his blade, cutting a diagonal slash across his enemies torso. The man gurgled before falling back. His body hit the floor, blood flowing across the timber surface from the fatal wound.

The third and last Chūnin looked at Itachi for a moment before dropping his weapon and raising his hands in surrender. "Remove your weapons," Itachi ordered, still battle ready. "All of them!"

He watched as the final Chūnin dropped his katana, tore off his weapons pouches from his thighs, kunai holsters on his wrists and hidden shuriken in his boots. As expected from a mid-level Shinobi, even a traitorous one. He fell to his knees and put his hands behind the back of his head. Itachi knew what his assailant was doing even when he pulled the hidden kunai from the back of his collar. With a swift motion from his katana cut off the man's head, opening the door to his room as the head hit the floor.

"Mother," he shouted, hearing the sounds of combat across the house. "Mother! Sasuke!"

His mother's room was the closest and with reckless abandon he ran down the corridor and forced the sliding doors open, just in time to see Mikoto run an enemy through with her katana. The bodies of two Chūnin Shinobi littered the floor around her room, and a third was standing on the other side, kunai raised and ready to throw. Itachi took the initiative and threw his katana, watching as it spun through the air before imbedding itself through the final enemy Shinobi's throat, stopping his attack. The man gurgled, blood spewing across the walls as the blade severed the carotid artery before he fell.

He ran up to his mother in time to see her pale and panting, "Sasuke."

He nodded, "I'll get him."

Once again he was running down the corridor, ignoring the remnants of the battle between ANBU, what few clansmen he had placed around the perimeter and the Chūnin loyal to his father who thought of this desperate gambit. There was no honour in this, nor any real advantage which could be given to them by this action. In doing this they had condemned themselves as traitors to the village and to the Sandaime Hokage. It was nothing more than a waste, a damn waste.

Finally he reached his little brothers room and threw open the doors. Sasuke was sitting upright in bed, pale and terrified by whatever had been going on around him. The bodies of three Chūnin lay on the floor, blood pooling onto the strong oaken timber. Standing over them were two ANBU, blades doused in blood and dripping onto the floor.

Itachi ran to his brother's side, "Are you alright, Sasuke?"

"Scared," he whispered, shivering in fear as he looked down upon the bodies. Itachi didn't blame him; no child should have to go through this.

"It's alright Sasuke," Itachi soothed as he patted his little brothers head. "It's all over now."

His mother rushed into the room and Itachi let her take over with Sasuke. He needed her more than him. His foolish little brother didn't seem to understand what had happened with the Uchiha Revolt, and seemed lost and weary, mainly because his own father, the man he looked up to the most, had betrayed the village in a quest for power and failed.

He let his mother comfort Sasuke as he rose to his feet and took his place alongside the two ANBU, but he already knew it was over. The sounds of metal on metal and flesh and bone had ceased, and cheers were being raised by both the Uchiha loyalists and the ANBU assigned to guard them. The assassination was a complete failure.

* * *

_**Author's Note 1: **_I was considering doing something other than the bell test, but I wanted to show a little of what the team could do, plus I can so see Itachi using that same method. It may appear simple to those of us who have seen it but it works. And if anyone thinks I made them go down to easily then think again. The three of them are still considered green Genin with no battle experience. That means they won't be acting like super Ninja right away. I wanted to hit that point home.

_**Author's Note 2: **_I also am quite happy with how I portrayed Itachi in this chapter, if anyone disagrees with me please let me know. But I can see him attempting to even the field by removing his high level abilities and Sharingan eye. Even then I knew that Itachi, even without the Mangekyo, could definitely defeat a team of Genin with nothing more than basic Ninjutsu and Taijutsu.

_**Author's Note 3: **_Thank you everyone for the reviews, and thanks to a few people who pointed out this flaw I had overlooked in the last chapter, messing up Dead Centre of the class with Joint First. Having Naruto joint first in the class was my first idea, but I decided against this. As for the next update I'm not really sure, I haven't started the next chapter yet.


	14. Chapter 13: Genin

_**Chapter 13**_

_**Genin**_

"I have made my decision." Itachi's voice brought the three solemn Genin to attention. He looked each of them in the eye, and in that one moment he truly made his decision. "You all pass."

Silence prevailed for what seemed like an eternity. Two of his three new recruits were just staring at him in a mixture of belief and shock, while the third one simply raised his eyebrows as far up as they could possibly go. Eventually a sound came as Naruto gulped dryly, but it was the female of the team who spoke before he had the chance too. "Sensei, how do we pass? I thought we failed the test."

"Yes," Itachi replied as he walked over to them and started untying them from their bindings, first Ino, then Naruto and finally Shino. All the while he continued to speak. "You failed the objective of stealing these two bells from me, but that was not the real goal of the test. The real goal was to see if the three of you could work together as a team, even if it appears the situation makes teamwork seem unsuitable to an individual."

Naruto grinned, despite his hands rubbing at the sore skin of his wrists, "Told you."

Ino frowned openly at him, but allowed their new sensei to continue as he walked back to the flat rock and picked up his lunch. The Uchiha balanced the bento box, plucking his chopsticks from the interior and began eating again, savouring each mouthful.

"Many villages go by the rule that individual members are not as important as the missions they were assigned. They would gladly sacrifice a team of Shinobi to accomplish this goal. But this is not how Konoha works. Many of the Shinobi of the Leaf believe that in order to survive the lives of the individual are just as important as the team itself, never leave a friend and comrade behind for those who abandon their friends are nothing." He looked each of them in the eyes again. "As your sensei it is my duty not just to mould you into fine Ninja, but to protect you from the dangers you will be facing and to teach you how to survive. That is my oath to you."

He gained looks of respect and admiration from his three students as he took another bite of his sushi. "The three of you have lunch in your packs don't you?"

They nodded and scrambled for their backpacks. Within moments the four members of Team Eight were sitting together, silently eating in the now quiet field of the training ground. There was no complaint from the Genin, who were silent not because of any uncomfortable atmosphere but because they were so hungry that they simply ate. None of them were aware of the Raven that swooped down from above, and all three jumped in surprise as Itachi raised his arm to allow the black bird to land. It cawed softly into the Uchiha's ear, and he nodded in what appeared to be understanding at what it was telling him. Once it was finished the avian creature went up in a small cloud of smoke, and Itachi went back to his meal.

"Um, Itachi-sensei," Ino asked a little timidly, blushing slightly when the teenage Jōnin gave her his attention. "What was that about?"

The Uchiha smiled faintly, "Oh, just a little something I wanted to keep up to speed on, nothing major." So his foolish little brother had also passed his teams examination, if only by the skin of his teeth. Teamwork was never one of Sasuke's strong points. Something Itachi hoped could be remedied with time and experience.

"Anyway, I will now apprise you of the schedule we will keep from now on, and as my students I expect you all to keep to it, understand?" They nodded in agreement. "Meet at this training ground by 09:00 hours. We will spend the first session with me reviewing all of your skills, and what I believe would be the best curriculum and training schedule for each of you. By twelve we will break for lunch. Then meet up at the Hokage Palace at 13:00 hours for your first mission as Shinobi, depending on how quick you accomplish these missions we may be doing two to three a day."

"Cool, our first mission."

The Uzumaki was excited, but Itachi knew it wouldn't last once he found out what type of missions newly promoted Genin were usually selected for. D-rank missions were the most basic of grunt work, from mundane chores such as gardening, walking animals, labourers at construction sites, delivering goods to shops and offices, even babysitting and cleaning. It was nothing like the jobs normal people viewed Ninja doing, but it gave them money and helped them build up their experience with working together.

Itachi finished off the last bite of his sushi before rising to his feet. "That will be all for today, return here at 09:00 sharp and we will begin."

He was gone in the blink of an eye.

* * *

"Can I ask you a question?"

Naruto opened a single eye to look at his new teammate, begrudgingly admitting that he had been slightly wrong about Ino. He had thought that she was just another one of Sasuke's airheaded fan girls, but during the exam she had shown that when she got her head in the game she could think up some pretty good strategies. He and Shino simply set the traps. She told them what kinds and where would be the best place to set them.

"Sure," he replied.

"Were you telling the truth, or where you just messing around?" Her gaze seemed a little too piercing for his comfort level.

"What about?"

"About one of your hobbies being gardening." She replied a little bitingly. "Because I swear if that was a crack made at my family I will deck you one."

"Wow, wow, hold the phone." Naruto raised his hands in surrender. The blond Genin remembered the last time a girl decked him, and for such a skinny girl Sakura's punch really hurt. "I wasn't messing around. Gardening is actually a hobby of mine... I'm just a little, well..."

"What?" She asked pointedly.

"Well think about it. If a boy told you that his hobby was something like gardening the other guys would poke fun at me about it. It was something I didn't want to become common knowledge." He smiled slightly in embarrassment before looking at her and becoming as white as a sheet. It made her feel a little worried.

"What?"

"You're not going to make it public knowledge are you," he asked a little fearfully. "I know how much you like to... well-"

"Gossip," she supplied helpfully.

He gulped dryly before nodding his head, "Yea."

She smiled a little teasingly, "Relax whiskers, I only gossip on people I don't like."

He looked at her a little in confusion, "I thought I was someone you didn't like."

"You're in the middle," she replied before looking over at Shino. "So is he."

Shino didn't answer, but instead nodded his head. Naruto however sighed in obvious relief and flashed a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied before turning thoughtful. "So have you two thought up of who will be the unofficial team leader yet."

"I nominate Yamanaka-san," Shino spoke up for the first time, gaining the attention of the two blonds beside him. "She has proven that she can think up better strategies than us."

"He's right," Naruto added with a smile. "If it was up to us we would have just rushed out there and gotten slaughtered, but you thought up of the traps and where to place them, and we lasted longer and showed that we could work together better."

Ino flashed a triumphant smile, "Stick with me boys and we'll survive to become Chūnin."

Naruto decided he liked the idea. He wanted to become a Chūnin, then a Tokubetsu Jōnin, then a full Jōnin. He wanted to climb the ranks and become the best of the best and prove his worth. He grinned at the prospect, excited beyond words. The path began here and now. "So is anyone up for a little celebration? I know this Ramen stand that does the best food you'll ever taste."

Shino seemed to be thinking about it, but Ino on the other hand looked at him pointedly. "I can't, I'm on a diet."

He looked at her for a moment, "Why would you need to be on a diet?"

"To lose weight," was her answer.

"If you lost anymore weight you'd float away." Naruto told her bluntly. "If anything you need to gain weight. You're as thin as a stick."

Ino's fist connected to the top of his head.

"Owe!"

"Jerk," she huffed before stalking away.

Naruto noticed a few things in that moment. That talking to a girl about her weight was not a good idea. His mother would clarify this for him later. And that Ino's punch was nowhere near as sore as Sakura's had been. Ino simply bopped him on the top of the head, Sakura had levelled him. He looked over at his other teammate with a confused look.

"What did I say?"

Shino shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

Sasuke stumbled along, absently favouring his right shoulder and grumbling lightly under his breath about how the fates were against him. His clothes were covered in a layer of dirt from his little sojourn buried alive up to his head. The whole day had been one disaster after another, followed by another and finally another just to kick him when he was down.

"Sasuke,"

The young Uchiha wasn't at all surprised when he heard his big brothers calm, deep voice and turned his head to see him appearing beside him. Itachi was now seventeen years old, and towered over Sasuke by at least a head. The prodigy of the clan looked down at him and flashed a small smile. The younger brother had to admit the change he saw in his senior since the revolt, much the same to the change he saw in his mother. Itachi seemed more relaxed ever since the incident, like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and dumped out of reach.

Maybe it was the removal of their father's oppressive aura. Maybe it was because the tensions between clan and village had weakened considerably in the last few years. Maybe it was because of the changes taking place within their very clan. But Sasuke also knew one of the main reasons why his older brother had become more relaxed and carefree, though not to the ridiculous point of his new Jōnin-sensei. He shuddered at the thought of his big brother being three hours late to every meeting and reading dubious books in public.

A middle and index finger made contact with his forehead, poking him out of his reverie. "Owe!"

Itachi smirked, "So, how was your Genin Exam, foolish little brother."

"Awful," Sasuke winced and groaned as he walked, sticking his hands into his pockets. "I'm stuck with an Inuzuka who is noisy and stupid, and an annoying girl who doesn't seem to have a mind of her own. Our sensei was two and a half hours late to the meeting, said we had to take these two bells from him and proceeded to completely destroy us."

His older brother seemed to think for a moment. "Did he have wild spiky silver hair, headband over left eye, mask over the bottom of his mouth, reads a little orange book."

"That's him," Sasuke nodded and groaned at the memory.

"Pay attention to him Sasuke," Itachi said in a stern voice which made his little brother look up to him with rapt attention. "That man may seem like a lazy slouch, but appearances are deceptive. He is one of the most powerful Shinobi in the entire village, and was a superior of mine during my ANBU days."

Sasuke looked up at him dubiously. "He was in ANBU?"

"He was a Captain in ANBU." Itachi clarified his statement with a nod of his head. "Hatake Kakashi, known infamously as the Copynin, student of the Yondaime Hokage, master of a thousand Jutsu which puts him on the shortlist of possible Hokage candidates, and believe me little brother that is a very short list."

Sasuke thought of _that_ man as Hokage, and shuddered. "You're not messing around with me are you?"

A middle and index finger connected with his forehead, and Itachi smirked as Sasuke let out a groan of pain. "Foolish little brother."

"Cut it out." His 'foolish little brother' sulked. "Why are you asking me this anyway? You already know."

"How so?"

"I saw your raven."

Itachi blinked before letting out a chuckle, "Good eyes Sasuke. You're getting better at observation. So did you pass?"

"Yeah, we passed." Sasuke muttered before dropping his voice to such a low level a normal civilian wouldn't have heard him, "barely."

Itachi was not a normal civilian and the smirk curling up his lips let his little brother know that he had heard it all loud and clear. He shrugged off the resulting glare with no visual effort. "So what happened?"

Sasuke groaned internally, but relented. "Kiba got caught in several traps, Sakura was knocked out by a wimpy Genjutsu and I was buried up to my neck in dirt."

He heard a snicker from his brother and snapped his head around to glare. Itachi was trying so hard not to laugh, and he had almost succeeded. These shows of emotion had just started to surface in his big brother over the last year, and although he didn't like sharing his older sibling's time he had to admit that she was good for him, exactly what he needed. If she was capable in helping his brother smile, then Sasuke would relent to his second cousin, if just a little.

"So what about your team?"

"They passed."

* * *

Silent as the grave she prowled through the brush of the forest, lithe body moving slowly and precisely. If someone had to explain how she moved they would say that it was like watching a big cat, like a lioness or a panther, stalking prey.

Yugito hid a small smile as her eyes surveyed the darkened forest with a calm clarity, not missing a single twitch of movement. She sniffed the air, searching for the familiar scent of the one she was hunting. Her prey was nearby. The smell of dango and sake was rife in the air, as well as another, faded yet still pungent odour.

A sharp whistling noise was her only warning, but it was enough for her to dive to the side, avoiding the trio of kunai which imbedded into the dirt. Yugito rolled across the forest floor to her feet, hands blurring as she sent a kunai flying back to where the attack originated. The blade disappeared into the leafy brush, and there was a thunk as it stabbed into bark.

Another swish of air caught her attention, and with another blur she fished into her weapons pouch and let fly another kunai in its path. The two blades met, sent spinning in opposite directions with a metallic clink. Yugito kept running, hearing the thuds of shuriken biting into the bark of the tree she just ran past. The blonde haired Kunoichi drew another kunai as she took cover behind the thick trunk of an untouched tree, taking a few deep breaths to regain oxygen.

She froze once she heard a silky, purring voice, "_Got yooouuu._"

Hands grabbed her from behind, a thin kunai a few centimetres longer than the norm pressed against her throat. Yugito shivered when she felt hot breath fan across her right earlobe, followed by a lick. "Do you really have to do that?"

"Nope," her opponent sang in a whisper. "I just love how you shiver like that. You're just so much fun to tease."

Yugito sighed, not surprised that she was caught the way she was. Anko was an expert in assassination after all, and one of her favourite such techniques was an ability that allowed her to faze through solid objects, like walls or in this case trees. Then again, she wouldn't call herself a Jōnin if she had been caught so easily. Her body morphed into brown mud which began to flow as the clone was dispelled.

Anko jumped out of the tree, signature wicked grin in place as she ducked a clawed hand, backpedalled two steps to dodge the second and brought up her arm to block the third. Yugito had fallen into her Black Tiger fighting stance, looking every bit the elegant feline killer she was known to be. Anko's grin was still in place as she disengaged and jumped back, falling into her Hebi style.

The two rushed each other in unison. Anko feigned to the right then lashed out with a lightning quick strike to her sparring partner's solar plexus, which was swiped away by a clawed hand and countered by an equally quick heel palm aimed for her jaw. The assassin leaned back, missing the strike by millimetres before spinning around to regain her balance, aiming a few lightning quick opened handed strikes as she went, all of which blocked.

After sparring with this woman on and off for the past few years Yugito had gained a lot of experience fighting against the infamous Hebi fighting style. The fighting style could be considered an art form in Taijutsu, designed for the user to deploy lightning quick strikes while not giving their opponent the slightest warning, no recognisable movement before the impending blow unless the opponent knew the slightest warning signs.

Still the Hebi fighting style was unpredictable to even the most experienced of fighters. Not surprising considering it was designed by the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru, to even the odds when fighting against the likes of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. The palm strike slipped through her guard, and Yugito felt pain blossom in her jaw as Anko delivered the uppercut to her chin. The blonde stumbled back, stunned and unable to stop the follow up kick to her stomach, sending her sprawling to the dirt.

Yugito flipped to her feet, left hand favouring her now sore jaw as she gave Anko a venomous glare, which the Mitarashi returned with her usual cheerfulness. The blonde shrugged her shoulders before falling back into her favoured fighting style, giving her sparring partner a 'come hither' flex of her fingers. A few seconds passed before their deadly danced continued, and once again Yugito was brought back into the defensive as Anko continued to lash out with her lightning quick jabs, each aimed for a vulnerable spot on the human body.

Yugito waited, feeling every jab and punch which managed to get through her guard, allowing Anko to think she had her. Then her chance came. Anko overextended a jab and acting on instinct Yugito grabbed the hand and spun, using her strength to send the assassin expert over her shoulder and slam her against the dirt, satisfied when she heard the air leave her lungs.

Yugito quickly disengaged and hopped back just out of Anko's reach, watching as she rolled to her feet. Taking the brief peace she had gained began rapidly forming seals, finishing just as Anko was rushing to reengage her. There was no need to call out the name of the technique, only to think it.

Yugito slammed her hands against the earth and felt the pulse as her chakra flowed into the soil. The ground before her heaved and a spike of condensed rock shot towards her opponent, literarily ready to pierce her. Anko was just able to substitute herself with a piece of rock, which splintered into a dozen pieces upon impact.

Yugito was immediately forced on the defensive, hopping to the side as her opponent came in close, returning to an assault through Taijutsu. Block left, right, duck, right, left, right, right, jump, bring up right knee to block left, swipe with right, uppercut with left. Anko was once again sent falling backwards, almost sent entirely off her feet this time.

She didn't jump back to her feet.

Instead she lay there, right hand rubbing her sore jaw, motioning it side to side to make sure it hadn't been fractured. "Owe, that bloody hurt!"

"Sorry," Yugito apologised as she relaxed her stance, walking over to offer her training partner a hand, which she accepted. The blonde looked up at the sun and sighed. "Want to get out of here? Our times almost up."

Anko grinned, "Am I getting too much for you?"

Yugito snorted in response, "Hardly."

The two friends started walking back to the well worn track which would take them out of the training grounds. "Oh I get it, you're wondering if that little brat was able to pass his real examination."

"More or less," Yugito responded. "And he's not a brat."

She didn't know how or why it happened, but ever since Naruto and Anko met the two of them had been busy pranking and counter-pranking each other. Yugito wasn't really sure who started it anymore. Either Anko said something to piss Naruto off or her Cub said something to piss Anko off. It was amazing how alike they were sometimes. All she knew now was that it had become something of a routine, and most of the time it had been pretty low key, so Yugito had let them get on with it.

A low predatory growl brought her attention back to reality, and she looked up to see Anko go tense, looking at the shadows a few meters away from them. Yugito didn't go still. Instead she crouched down and responded with a wave. A single panther sleeked out into the light, black fur glossy and dark eyes showing an incredible sentient intelligence. It slinked up beside her, and Yugito leaned her head to the side for it to whisper into her ear. A smile slowly turned into a grin and with a nod and a quick hug to her summon she gave it a dismissal.

Anko looked on, slowly relaxing when she realised the animal was one of her friends summons. "Well, what did he want?"

"_She_," Yugito corrected, grin not leaving her face. "Naruto passed."

"Good for the brat," Anko replied. "Let's go celebrate his ascension to our ranks, and may the heavens have mercy on us all."

"He's not a brat."

* * *

Being at the meeting point wasn't a particularly problem for Shino. His family of insects, as well as being able to aide him in battle and spy for him, were also quite helpful as a sort of alarm. So at eight in the morning, an hour before he and his team were supposed to meet with their new sensei a half dozen of his allies began buzzing around his ears, awakening the young Aburame from his slumber.

Now he was walking through the worn dirt track between training fields, fully dressed in his long light blue, high collared coat, dark pants and sandals. This terrain was where he felt most at peace, away from the hustle and bustle of the village. It was the same for the entire clan, and although their wish for quiet and solitude was frowned upon by not just the villagers but quite a few clans as well they would still not have it any other way.

The sign for their meeting spot, training ground twenty three, came into view and silently Shino moved through the already opened slightly rusted gates and made his way through the often treaded path, listening to the morning sounds of birds and insects. Finally he came to the clearing, and noticed that, once again, someone had beaten him.

Naruto Uzumaki sat against the shade of the oak tree in the centre of the clearing, waving a greeting as Shino approached. Shino admitted that he didn't know the Uzumaki all that well. He had thought Naruto was an average student, excelling in some classes but lagging behind in others. The Aburame thought of himself as a good judge of character, able to identify if someone was telling the truth of lying, but he had to admit that with Naruto he had had the wool literarily pulled over his eyes.

The two waited by the tree, Naruto lying against it and snoozing while Shino simply leaned against the century old bark, hands in his pockets, waiting for their last teammate and sensei to arrive. Yamanaka Ino arrived a few minutes later, looking a little unused to getting up at such an early hour. She grunted a greeting to the two of them before sitting against the tree.

It was barely a minute later when their sensei arrived at nine o'clock sharp, but instead of just arriving in the blink of an eye he appeared at the edge of the forest, walking serenely towards them as they all stood and waited for him. Itachi looked the three of them in the eyes before nodding to himself. "Right, first I want to see exactly what the three of you are capable off. You will face each other in Taijutsu spars, _only_ Taijutsu. Do you understand?"

The three of them nodded their understanding.

"Good," the Uchiha said. "First up is Shino and Ino, get into your positions and wait for my word."

Shino and Ino walked until they stood where their sensei once stood, watching as Itachi walked across the tree and sat down beside Naruto, looking down on him to see if he was really asleep before turning back to his other two students.

"Begin!"

Both weren't specialists in Taijutsu, Itachi realised. If he sized the two of them up he would see that Shino had an advantage in strength and power. He was bigger, broader and stronger while Ino was scrawny, not malnutrition scrawny but teenage girl looking to lose weight scrawny. She was slightly faster than her male teammate, something that Itachi was sure he could help with.

Shino had immediately gained the advantage in the spar, using his larger size and strength to put his female opponent on the defensive. Ino was immediately forced to backpedal, obviously hurting every time she moved to block one of the Aburame's punches with her arms. Even then Itachi knew that Shino wasn't putting all of his strength into his strikes, holding them back and hesitating when he thought he had used too much force.

Itachi continued to watch as his female student began really backpedalling, then diving away from her teammate as he continued his assault. She lacked the physical strength needed for Taijutsu, and lacked the physical strength to defend herself against such attacks. Itachi wondered why her father hadn't tried to help her in that regard.

Inoichi Yamanaka was a good man, and a brilliant Shinobi. He was a fine interrogator and had made quite a name for himself as a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio so Itachi had thought he had trained his only child in all forms of Shinobi combat including Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu. He should have at least helped her build up her strength so she could adequately defend.

Still she had a fine mind. Itachi noticed the subtle ways she moved to try and lessen the blows and the ways she thought on her feet to gain distance between herself and Shino. There were a few times where he saw her unconsciously move her hands as if to form a seal, only for her to shake her head and begin defending herself once again. Any attacks she tried to implement were quickly intercepted and countered by her teammate.

He would have to help her by teaching her a better Taijutsu form than the academy style. His families own style was too proficient to potential Sharingan users to be of much help, but thanks to his eyes and a few patient teachers he was able to learn a few styles which would be helpful to her.

He looked down at his third teammate, noticing that he was awake and watching the confrontation. "Tell me Naruto, what is it you hope to truly aim by becoming a Shinobi."

The blond didn't answer for a moment, as if thinking, but he sat up and frowned. "To become the best I can be."

"What is your ultimate aim though?" Itachi's gaze didn't waver. This was another reason why he had decided to start with one on one Taijutsu. It allowed him to speak with each student individually, to see what they're true goals and convictions were.

"To become a Jōnin," Naruto frowned at that for a moment, blue eyes showing that he was truly thinking. "No, I want to become more than that. You know what I carry right?"

Itachi only nodded in response.

Naruto looked at the spar for a moment. "I want to truly prove myself as someone who isn't just someone defined by the past. I want to become the strongest Shinobi. I want to protect everyone and be the best Shinobi that I can be."

Itachi raised a black lash at that. "It sounds like you want to become the next Hokage."

Naruto leaned back against the oak. "Yeah, if that proves that me and my mom are more than freaks then that is what I will become."

There was more to this than what the child said. He was tired of being looked at with such disgust and pity. He was tired of being glared at every time he walked down the street. He wanted to prove that he was more than just the container for the most feared monster in the village. He wanted to be respected, to be trusted and to be seen. This wasn't a wish he wanted for himself. He wanted his mother, the woman who raised him, to prove that not just him but the woman who raised him was capable of being trusted and respected.

Itachi saw all this, not just in the way he said it but in his facial expression and in his expressive azure eyes. He leaned fully against the tree, just like his student was, and allowed a small smile. In many ways he saw a lot of his younger brother in Naruto, a young man wishing more than anything to prove himself to the village, yet there were differences. Naruto wanted to prove himself because he held within him the monster which tried to destroy the Hidden Leaf, and Sasuke wanted to restore their clan's honour after such an incredible disgrace in the Uchiha Revolt.

"Tell me what your specialities are? What are your strengths and your weaknesses in your opinion?" Itachi moved on without a beat, and it seemed to work.

"Well my mom says I'm good with Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu." Naruto spoke up thoughtfully. "But I think my real weakness is with Genjutsu. My mom once tried to teach me about illusions and stuff like that but I kind of zoned out every time she tried to explain."

"I see," Itachi frowned thoughtfully. "I might be able to help you with that. Usually a male finds it harder to learn Genjutsu unless they have an advantage. Usually Genjutsu is left to Kunoichi because they are more able to control they're chakra reserves then males can. Do you understand this?"

Naruto frowned for a moment. "Yeah, sort off."

"I will be testing the three of you to see how proficient with Genjutsu you are, as well as Ninjutsu." Itachi explained carefully. "Even if you show no talent I can still show you how to counter them. Are you willing to accept my help?"

"Yes."

"Then I will help you."

Naruto looked up at his sensei, but was unable to ask as Itachi raised his voice enough for his two teammates to hear. "That's enough. The next one will be between Naruto and Shino, once again Taijutsu only."

Naruto was still for a moment, watching him, before sighing and rising to his feet, walking over to Shino even as his female teammate strode towards the oak tree. She was panting, a fresh sheen of sweat glistening from her exposed skin. She didn't sit down beside Itachi. She almost collapsed. She had been completely exhausted by that spar, which showed that her stamina and pain threshold was subpar at best. He would have to put her through a serious training regime to get her up to scratch physically.

Within a few minutes Itachi knew exactly who was the best in Taijutsu. Shino may have been able to keep Ino at bay with his size and strength, but with Naruto those supposed advantages had been nullified. The blond may not be as tall or broad as the Aburame, but he had an advantage in almost being a professional at his fighting style of the black tiger, and being able to match Shino blow for blow without even flinching.

When he counterattacked his bigger teammate was immediately put on the defensive, and didn't seem to be able to counter anything other than to block or dodge Naruto's clawed swipes and kicks, and wasn't able to keep himself far enough away to nullify the fighting arts grappling abilities. Naruto was able to grapple with Shino and take the bigger boy to the ground with quick, precise movements.

"So, Yamanaka-san," He didn't miss the young girls blush when he began speaking to her, but acted as if he didn't notice. He could not help her reach her potential if she was nervous with talking to him. "What do you think you are capable off, what do you want to become?"

"I...I want." She frowned as she thought, cheeks reddening more with every moment of silence. But when she spoke she began to gain more confidence with each word. That was good. "I want to become like my father and all the other Yamanaka before me."

"Becoming an expert in spying and interrogation are admirable qualities." Itachi said as he looked at the two boys as they sparred. "However I would advice to wait until you become a Chūnin before learning those skills. May I be blunt with you, Yamanaka-san?"

"Just call me Ino."

"Ino," Itachi corrected before taking a breath. "You're Taijutsu needs work, and while I have not seen you perform Ninjutsu or Genjutsu I think close range combat will be a weakness of yours if you do not take it more seriously." He noticed her flinch at his prognosis, but continued on. She needed to be told the truth now than die in some nameless field later. "Your Aburame teammate is no master of Taijutsu, however he was able to hold the advantage over you during most of your spar. I am willing to help you strengthen your Taijutsu, if you will allow me."

Ino was silent for a moment, looking on as Naruto and Shino continued to spar. "Okay."

"It will not be easy," Itachi warned. "I want you to take that out of your head. If you are to survive as a field Shinobi then you will need what I am willing to teach. You must learn how to defend yourself at close range. The training regime I have planned will build you up physically as well as build up your Taijutsu. It will be a hard regime, but are you willing to let me help?"

"Yes, sensei."

Itachi nodded, noticing gladly that she didn't seem to be so shy around him anymore. That was good. He looked up at Naruto and Shino. As he suspected the girl was not as shallow as she first appeared. She had her own set of goals. "That's enough, good work to both of you. Shino will switch with Ino."

The moment Naruto and Ino began to spar the Jinchūriki slowly started to go easier on her with every strike he took. Ino seemed to notice this, and was starting to strike with more ferocity with every moment that passed. She wasn't the type that liked people going easy on her, and Naruto seemed the type who didn't like to strike at people who were weaker than him, even if they were coming at him with everything they had.

"Tell me Shino. What is your goal in becoming a Shinobi?"

"As I said during our first meeting sensei," Shino replied in his usual calm, even though he was still subtly trying to regain his breath from his match. "I wish to master all of my family's Jutsu, and learn how I can be able to fight with the aid of my allies, both human and insect."

"Admirable, but do you wish to know my opinion?" The Aburame looked up at him for a moment, for all outward appearances calm, yet the crinkling of his brow spoke volumes to the former ANBU.

"Yes, sensei,"

"You need to learn more than just relying on your insects," Itachi looked at Shino critically, assessing his response. Even to the Sharingan the insect wielding Aburame clan was difficult to read. "By focusing on strengthening your relationship with your hive you are lagging behind in other fields, namely you're Taijutsu."

"Sensei?"

"Let me put you in a hypothetical situation." The Uchiha continued. "You are placed in a position, against an opponent who is able to nullify your insect allies. What do you have left to fall upon?"

Shino didn't respond, instead he looked at the ground, brow crinkled as he thought.

"You need to learn other abilities than those which use your hive." The Uchiha continued. "I have seen such hypothetical situations become reality, and a few Aburame have died in front of me because someone was able to nullify their hives and render them ineffective. The techniques do exist, even if only a handful knows of them."

Silence prevailed as Itachi went back to watching the match, only to frown when he noticed that it was nearly turning into a brawl. Ino had apparently had enough of Naruto going easy on her and was almost screaming at him. "Stop going easy on me!"

"I can't."

"Why the hell not!"

"Because you're a girl!"

Itachi raised his brow at that, fully expecting Yamanaka to lash out at the statement. He was not disappointed. By the time he broke the fight-turned-brawl up both Naruto and Ino were panting, covered in dirt and light bruises and shooting each other downright hostile glares. Mentally Itachi sighed. This was going to be an interesting experience.

* * *

_**My name is Uchiha Shisui**_

My name is Uchiha Shisui.

I am the thirty eighth head of the Uchiha clan, and considering that I was eighteen when I took up the position I am hailed as the youngest clan head ever selected in Konoha, perhaps in the entirety of the Elemental Nations. I am twenty two years old, roguishly handsome and basically able to make a woman's heart swoon just by looking at them.

As the new head of the Uchiha clan I have enacted several changes over the last four years. Through my stubbornness and sheer audacity I was able to convince the entire clan to allow non-clan marriages. It took five months, nine days, twelve hours, forty minutes and thirty two seconds to successfully enact but I finally did it. I had to take the criticism of the Hyuga clan head and disagreements from several old farts on the Fire Council but I did it.

Fuck you Hyuga Hiashi.

Fuck you, you old bastards.

Bless you Hokage-sama, _whooo!_

Now though, after four years as head of the Uchiha clan I could safely say that if Orochimaru walked into this office and asked if he could take my job I would give it to him, pack my bags and go to some beach resort in Mizu no Kuni and have sex with many, many scantily clad women between the age group of eighteen to forty.

Why, do you ask, would I do this?

Because being head of a powerful clan is not what people think it is. At this rate I would rather take the position of Hokage, sure the old man has a small mountain of paperwork but at least he was able to pass complaints on to one of his legion of Administrative Ninja. I may not have nearly as much paperwork but I also don't have the small army of Shinobi under me.

I have to take every single complaint personally, no matter how trivial.

If I have to listen to Chi-Baa about the kids outside her house one more time...

I remember when Itachi came into my office a month after I took the position and say that he wanted to get something off his chest. He explained how he was planning to kill me to gain the ultimate Sharingan to put down the insurrection which was coming. I forgave him, but what really got me was how he explained how he was going to kill me in disturbing detail, right down to using his Sharingan to copy my handwriting for the suicide note.

Me?

Suicide?

Come on.

It freaked the hell out of me, but now I kind of wish he did kill me. At least then I wouldn't have to be stuck in this thrice damned office. I even asked him a couple of times if he would finish what he started. He always said no. The reason was that if I did in his words 'croak' then he would be stuck in this chair.

A knock sounded on the door, which opened showing the petite form of my assistant, a lovely little lady called Megumi. "Shisui-sama, it's Chi-san, something about a couple of kids outside her house again."

I groaned and slammed my head against the table.

My name is Uchiha Shisui.

Kill me.

_Please.

* * *

_

_**Author's Note 1: **_Mainly a story moving chapter this time, getting the whole team introductions out of the way so we can move on to some of the better stuff. At the moment I have the next chapter done and another half way done. This appears to be my main story now. I'll hold off from publishing the next one until I've done another couple of chapters.

_**Author's Note 2: **_I'm not entirely sure if the characters are all in-character or not, if they aren't then I apologise but hopefully this should iron out the more I write about them. Yugito is easy because her lack of any real screen time means not much is known about her character besides what Kishimoto wrote in his sourcebook, so I have a lot of creative freedom with her that I don't have with the other characters.

_**Author's Note 3: **_A few people have asked me if I'm going to redo the Wave Arc in my own unique way, and the answer is yes, but not the way you think I will. I'm adding the whole arc with my own unique twist, meaning that it will follow the basic plot, and I mean really basic plot, but with several unique differences and it won't be very long either.


	15. Chapter 14: Substitute Sensei

_**Chapter 14**_

**_Substitute Sensei_**

The forest was silent. That was never a good thing. Forests were never supposed to be silent, especially so early in the day. The morning chorus of birds, clicking of crickets and the scuffles of movement were all lost in this place. It was as if some malicious presence permeated the very air, keeping the surrounding wildlife either far away or curled up in their nests and holes.

Three ANBU stood in the centre of the clearing in the forests, easily ten kilometres away from the main walls of Konoha. One, the leader, crouched down to study the kunai imbedded in the soil then looked up at the mess before him. The caw of a blackbird broke the silence as the avian took flight. It seemed fitting that an animal rumoured to be the messenger of death would be the only one to give its voice to this place.

A battle had been fought here, and a losing one at that. Blood spattered the ground and the bark like someone had taken a paintbrush doused in the stuff and flicked it around. Kunai and shuriken littered the area, lying on the ground, imbedded in the trees or pierced into the four unmoving bodies which lay haphazardly in the clearing.

All four victims were Chūnin, part of a patrol group sent out on a standard patrol just yesterday. They didn't report in when they were supposed to and after missing their next two a small group of ANBU had been sent to look for them. The ANBU found them like this, and as the leader surveyed the aftermath he already knew how the battle had played out, could subconsciously see it in his veteran mind.

The body lying to his right, on his back, was the first casualty. The surprise etched on his now pallid features made that abundantly clear. A volley of shuriken, three pierced through his vest, one in his shoulder and another in his right eye, congealed blood stuck to his face. The others had probably died within seconds of each other. The next one had been incinerated by either a high level explosive or condensed fire technique. His charred remains were unrecognisable, and the blackened ground only seemed to add testament to the horrible way he met his end.

The third one had been run through the stomach with a long-sword, katana maybe and left where he lay, curled up on his side, blood pooling on the ground dying the soil crimson. The fourth and final body had been killed in a similar manner, only through the heart instead of the stomach. Death was instantaneous, the lucky one of the four.

There was one problem.

According to the records the team consisted of four Chūnin and one Jōnin, an Uchiha Itsuki if he remembered correctly from the report. The Uchiha was absent. Was he able to escape or perhaps he tried to run from their attackers, or maybe he was the perpetrator himself. The ANBU heard a snap and snapped his head around in time to see another ANBU, this one with a white mask with the kanji for flame written on it crouched down and bowed his head.

"Sir, you need to have a look at this."

The leader nodded and took off with his subordinate into the trees, moving easily fifty meters into the forest before landing back on the ground. Two more ANBU stood around one of the huge Konoha trees, not allowing their gazes to leave whatever he was not able to see. Wordlessly Hawk walked around the thick trunk and stopped short.

The body had been crucified against the bark, kunai imbedded in his hands and through his bare feet to keep him immobilised. Blood, now congealed, ran down the trunk like dried paint, turning the usually brown bark crimson. Uchiha Itsuki's whole body was limp, head bowed against his chest, long hair burst free to hide his face.

He was definitely dead. Hawk surmised this as he walked up to the body and raised the head, getting a look at the face for verification. He looked at the pallid features twisted into a scream, but that was not the worst part. Where his eyes were supposed to be was nothing more than hollow darkness. Someone had ripped out Uchiha Itsuki's eyes.

He didn't take his eyes off the face as he spoke. "Send word to the Hokage."

* * *

Two weeks had passed since their official induction into the ranks of the Ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and during that time Naruto had come to a conclusion about Shinobi life. He really began to hate D-rank missions. He had heard that D-ranks were the bane of a Ninjas existence, but it was only know that he truly understood the meaning.

D-rank missions were the most useless assignments a Ninja could get. They weren't even real missions because they had no risk attached to them, so no need for them to use their combat abilities. According to Itachi-sensei the missions had their own uses, including promoting teamwork and allowing the Genin to get to know each other better.

Sometimes Naruto wondered if he even wanted to get to know his teammates better.

Shino wasn't too bad, but he was very quiet and sometimes difficult to talk too. The boy seemed more interested in talking to his hive of insects than actual human interaction with his sensei and two teammates. Probably a social trait the rest of his family possessed.

While he and Shino seemed to have a slight understanding he couldn't say the same about their female teammate. Ino and he had butted heads several times over the last few weeks. They had argued about the most trivial of things. She was cocky, annoying, argumentative and sometimes downright violent, especially when you talk to her about her weight or talk down about a certain Uchiha.

Now here they were, before the Chūnin who assigned the missions. It was a little strange that the Hokage was sitting in the centre of the group, puffing his pipe. The young blond just knew he was taking some time off from the paperwork. His workload was barely a tenth of what it once was and the old man had found that he had more time to perform other duties.

With the old man was a Chūnin he didn't recognise, and Umino Iruka, one of the nicer instructors at the academy. It was Iruka who spoke as he looked over a couple of mission requests. "Ok, team Eight. Today we have a few more D-rank assignments. We have dog walking, delivery of stock to Satsuma weapons and one of the merchants has asked for some help with gardening."

Naruto felt like he was about to explode, more D-rank missions. He was getting tired of D-rank missions. He wanted something more challenging, something which would make him actually have to work. He wanted action. The blond was about to make his views known when the calm voice of his instructor filled the air.

"Hokage-sama," Itachi spoke up, gaining their attention. "I believe my team is ready for a C-rank mission."

Iruka looked like he was about to protest, but was stopped by the Sandaime. "Are you certain that they are ready?"

"I am," Itachi nodded his head. "They have shown an ability to work together, and I wish to see what they are capable of with something more challenging than pruning a garden or catching the Fire Daimyo wife's feline menace."

Sarutobi gave Itachi a calculated look before turning his attention to Iruka and nodding his head. The Chūnin frowned, but opened the first drawer of his desk and pulled out another file. This one with a C prominently stamped on the front page. "This one should be right up their alley Hokage-sama, a simple investigation assignment."

The Hokage took the file from the scarred Chūnin and quickly looked it over, after a moment he nodded his head and looked back at them. "As Iruka said it's an investigation. There has been word about a string of disappearances taking place in a village to the north of the country. The person who made the request thinks it's the work of slavers or bandits. Will that be suitable?"

Itachi nodded his head. "It will do, thank you Hokage-sama."

Naruto could barely contain his glee, a mission, his first C-rank mission. His mom was going to be so proud of him. He was barely aware of Itachi as he turned his attention to his Genin team. "Team eight. Meet at the eastern gate in two hours with enough supplies to survive a couple of weeks in the field. That includes food, water, weapons, clothes and sleeping bags as well as anything else you feel is necessary, got it?"

"Yes sensei." They chorused.

"Very good." The Uchiha nodded his head, "Dismissed."

Naruto was out the door at a sprint, while Shino and Ino followed at a more sedate pace. Itachi too was about to leave until he heard a slight pop. He turned around to see an ANBU agent kneeling before the Hokage, presenting a sealed scroll to the elderly village leader. The old man took it, broke the seal and read whatever was within. His eyes widened, then narrowed and when he set the scroll against the desk a frown marred his features.

Itachi knew that whatever the scroll contained was bad, but he had his own role to play and so he bowed to the Hokage before disappearing with a quick Shunshin, leaving the old man to his business. Once he was gone the Hokage looked to his ANBU. "I want another squad of ANBU sent to help cordon off the site, and a full investigation and medical unit assembled effective immediately."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

The ANBU was gone within the blink of an eye, and wordlessly the old man rose from his place. "Iruka, I'm leaving the rest of this to you."

The Chūnin didn't seem surprised as the Hokage walked to the exit, burning the scroll with a simple snap of his fingers. He walked down the corridors of his abode. His old but still sharp mind going over all of the information the scroll he had received contained. It was more than just coincidence now. This was the third time an Uchiha had been killed and left in such a manner in the last two months.

The same memo, anyone with the victims was quickly dispatched with a cold calculation and the main target would be found a short distance away from the site, crucified against a solid vertical surface with his eyes ripped out. He bet the cause of death would be a poisonous bite to the neck like the last two, even though the other injuries and blood lose would have eventually done the target in.

He walked into the foyer between his office and the waiting room, looking up in time to see his assistant greet him. Nemu was still his secretary, and one of the best he had had in a long time. It was the reason she was still employed. He nodded to her. "Nemu-chan, please contact the head of the Uchiha clan and tell him there has been a death of one of his clansmen and notify next of kin for him and his unit while you're at it."

She was immediately serious. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"And find Hatake Kakashi. I don't care if you have to assemble the full Military Police to hunt and drag him here, just make sure he is here within the hour." The old man was through the door and sitting heavily on his chair behind his oak desk, looking out at the village beyond his impressive view.

Three Uchiha casualties in two months, two Chūnin and one Jōnin, all of the victims had successfully activated Sharingan eyes, all had been killed and their corpses desecrated in a similar ghastly manner. Whoever had done this was definitely someone to be cautious around, killing a few Chūnin was no great feet, but taking out an entire patrol was impressive, even if there were more than one assailant.

The perpetrator would have to be A-class at least. Maybe a couple of B-class Ninja could do it. He frowned as he considered the possibility. Whoever it was they were definitely interested in the Sharingan, why else rip out the eyes? The thought wasn't very helpful considering the number of factions who wanted the infamous bloodline were as numerous as the Ninja Villages themselves.

* * *

Ino sighed as she walked through the village gates, backpack filled with the essentials she needed on her back. Mentally the Yamanaka counted off everything within the bag. Storage scrolls holding her sleeping bag, tent, weapons, food, water, spare clothes and a small supply of money. She almost wanted to cry when her father had denied her a few other amenities, instead taking them off her and using the scroll to store a spare set of kunai and shuriken.

All she was allowed to bring was an overnight bag, which in her father's language meant toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, towel, shampoo, soap and toilet paper. No perfume, no conditioner, no makeup and no mascara. Ino groaned at the thought, sure she wasn't over dependent on the stuff but she still wanted to look her best.

Once again she looked over her assembled teammates and fought really hard not to frown disapprovingly. Naruto hadn't shown up yet and it was five minutes past the deadline set by their sensei. Shino and Itachi-sensei were already there and waiting patiently for the blond moron.

There was a consolation she supposed. Getting her crushes older brother as a Jōnin-sensei was definitely a solace from not being in the same team. Uchiha Itachi was older, more mature and more mysterious than his little brother. Ino had heard of him of course, but to see the prodigy of the Uchiha clan and one of the main figures of the Uchiha Loyalists in the flesh was something else.

Ino looked at her watch and suppressed a groan as five minutes turned into six.

Then seven

Eight

Nine

And ten

Why couldn't she have been placed on Sasuke's team instead of that pink haired forehead girl Sakura? She bet Sasuke was never late for anything, neither was Kiba or their sensei. She could have taken the Inuzuka's inherent stupidity as long as she was on the same team as Sasuke-kun.

"I swear to kami," she growled. Gaining the attention of her other teammate and sensei. She didn't care if she came off as whiny to the older brother of her crush. "If he isn't here in five minutes I will hunt him down!"

It was at this moment that the annoyance arrived. "Hey, sorry to keep you guys waiting."

"Where have you been you moron!" she screeched at him. "You're ten minutes late."

He stopped and almost snarled at her. "Well _excuse me_ for living on the other side of the village!"

"Alright, both of you calm down." Itachi spoke up as he righted himself from his leaning position against the defensive wall. "We still have another four hours of sunlight, so let's make use of them."

"Hai, sensei." His three students drawled before following him out the village gates and beyond. All three were excited in their own way, looking forward to their first real mission as Ninja outside of the gates of their home.

The excitement didn't last. An hour into their trek, as the village walls began to disappear from sight the team of young Genin were beginning to get restless. Naruto looked like he was about to crack at any moment. Ino was scowling at the back of her fellow blonds head, not at him but at the lack of anything to do other than walk.

Shino just continued to walk, slightly relieved at the continued silence. Usually around this time Ino would begin an argument with Naruto or Naruto would begin an argument with Ino over some slight little problem or misunderstanding. The Aburame wasn't sure why the two of them were like this, but tried not to dive into it any further.

Instead Shino decided to use the moment of peace to his advantage, and without making a movement released three of his female kikaichū insects, each one given the assignment of latching onto a teammate and act as a transceiver to the rest of the hive. That way he would know where they were at all times. He had already discussed the idea with Itachi-sensei, who agreed that it would be useful if they ever got separated.

Itachi-sensei's and Ino-san's plants all landed on their targets with no trouble, although he noticed a flicker of his sensei's eyes the moment Miku-chan latched onto the back of his Jōnin vest, but he didn't try to shake her off so Shino left her there. Then the one he sent to Naruto, Rei-chan, landed and a moment of silence passed before the blond let out a grunt of surprise before reaching up to shoo the Kikaichū away.

Unconsciously Shino raised an eyebrow with a frown, did Rei-chan bite him? With the slightest of body movement he called the Kikaichū back to him and, allowing her to rest on his extended fingertip asked why she did that. She replied that she didn't know. The moment she landed on him she had an urge to suck on his chakra. Shino chastised her for not controlling herself before ordering her back to the hive. He released another female, Nami-chan, and ordered her to do the same thing.

Nami-chan flew and landed on Naruto's amber jacket with no trouble, and then the exact same thing happened to Nami-chan. She bit Naruto, and the blonde once again grunted before attempting to wave the insect away. Shino frowned as he recalled her. His insects should have more control than this. When he recalled her she told him the exact same thing Rei-chan did, and this made the Aburame look up at the blond with a more calculating gaze.

Why would Naruto's chakra be so potent that his own insects, which were trained to be able to withstand the need to spontaneously feed, started sucking on his chakra? This had never happened before and Shino's curiosity was piqued. He needed to learn more about Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

"It must be important if you sent a hunter squad after me."

The Sandaime looked up as Kakashi came to a rest, leaning against the far wall beside the door. Truthfully he was expecting it to be some time before the Jōnin arrived, at least another hour, yet here he was only a half hour after he called for him. The Hokage then looked up at the clock over his front door and frowned. It was eleven thirty. "Weren't you supposed to be with your team?"

Now the Copynin looked sheepish, which only caused the old Hokage to frown even more. "Yeah well a black cat crossed my path, so I was taking the scenic route and-"

"Save it," Sarutobi cut in with a shake of his head. "I had hoped that being given the responsibility of a Genin team would help cure your chronic tardiness. Looks like I was wrong. I do hope you are training them and not just showing up to take them on missions."

Kakashi waved his hands, "Hai, hai, not to worry Hokage-sama. So what was so important that you had to sic an ANBU search and destroy unit on me? I know that I can be a little aggravating, but really a search and destroy team."

The old man sighed, "They were only going to search for you, not destroy."

"That's a relief."

"Don't tempt me." The Sandaime added dryly before reaching into his top drawer and depositing a file on his desk. Kakashi was barely able to read the writing from his place at the other side of the room, yet he did notice the A-rank stamped on the front page. "I have a mission that I believe only you can perform."

"I thought I was off the high risk mission's roster while I was instructing." Kakashi noted as he straightened himself and walked over to the desk, taking the file and beginning to skim it over.

"This is a special case, and I need someone of your calibre to lead it." Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands together as he spoke. "Two months ago a Chūnin known as Uchiha Saru was performing a routine escort mission in the Fire Nation capital. He left his safehouse for food and never returned. His teammates found him the next day in a side alley, crucified to a wall with his eyes ripped out. He died on his way to the hospital."

Kakashi nodded his head, absently turning a page.

"A month later Uchiha Mamoru, also a Chūnin, went missing one night during a border patrol mission near the Land of Grass. He was missing for three days, but was found by his squad, crucified to a tree, also with his eyes ripped out. No one in his unit reported hearing or suspecting anything the night he disappeared." Sarutobi continued, noticing Kakashi's hands still in mid-turn of another page. "There had been a third incident Kakashi, an entire village patrol unit, lead by Jōnin Uchiha Itsuki, failed to report at the standard time last night. At zero nine hundred a team of ANBU was sent to their last known coordinates. They found his entire team dead, and Itsuki was found fifty meters away-"

"Crucified to a tree with his eyes ripped out?"

"Exactly," Sarutobi nodded his head. "Do you see where this is coming from? Three dead Uchiha in two months, all killed and defiled in a similar manner. This is the work of a serial killer, and a strong one at that."

"And my mission is to investigate these sites and try and find the perpetrator or perpetrators." Kakashi finished. "I'm guessing I've been assigned this because of my special case, and you don't want to send an Uchiha either because their head might not be in the game or they could end up as the next target."

"Precisely," Sarutobi nodded his head. "I've already met with Uchiha Shisui and asked him to recall all Sharingan enabled Uchiha from the active duty roster."

"How did he take it?"

"He refused at first," Sarutobi managed a small smile. "The Uchiha will not cower like children, was what he said. But I was finally able to persuade him, though only for a couple of weeks to a month. You need to find the perpetrators, or at least know the person or person's identity before that time."

Kakashi skimmed over the last few pages. "You're assembling more than me I presume."

"I have already gathered a full tracking team to assist you. Their names are on the roster at the back of the report."

Kakashi looked at the names. It would be a team of four with him selected as the leader if he accepted the mission. It was a team of note he had to admit. Inuzuka Hana, eldest daughter of the Inuzuka main family. He had completed a few B-ranks with her, and knew that when it came to tracking none were much better than her and her three canine companions. Hyuga Haru, branch family, and although the Copynin had never worked with him personally he had heard that he was a fine Shinobi and a good investigator. The last name gave him pause.

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi spoke up. "I thought you weren't going to involve the Uchiha clan in this case?"

"That was my intention, but in return for recalling all active duty Shinobi Shisui wanted to send one of his own operatives." The Sandaime noted his worried look and smiled. "She may have the name Uchiha Kakashi but she does not possess the Sharingan and so will not be a target."

"Her clan name makes her a target." Kakashi retorted lightly. "If the enemy represents another village then they won't know whether an Uchiha has the Sharingan or not. They'll just assume that she has it and strike her anyway."

"But she shouldn't be in as much danger for a simple reason."

"What?"

"You will be there."

Kakashi sighed, Uchiha Mikoto was a fine Kunoichi and although she had been retired she had returned to the fray with a new determination when called upon following the Uchiha Revolt. He did not dislike her, and he did not doubt her ability as a Ninja. There were other reasons. Kakashi had never been on the good side of the Uchiha clan, mainly because of the transplanted Sharingan eye he possessed.

"Will her presence be a problem?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

"Good."

"What about my Genin team?"

"A substitute will have to be found, temporary of course." The old man frowned as he reached for his tobacco pipe and matches. "But this mission was constructed a little hastily, and we have had no time to find a suitable replacement."

"Hmm," Kakashi seemed to think for a moment before his one visible eye curled up. "I think I have someone."

Hiruzen looked up at him critically, "Who?"

The Copynin tapped his nose with his right hand. "You'll see."

"Will this person fill in for you?"

"Absolutely... "

* * *

"... Absolutely not,"

Kakashi sighed and scratched the back of his head. Sure he didn't think she would say yes straight away but he didn't expect her negative answer to be so quick. It had been relatively simple to find her. She had just finished an A-class assassination of some bandit leader with Anko, and was known for hanging out in the Jōnin lounge after such a mission.

He found her sitting nice and comfortable on one of the olive leather armchairs, relaxed and reading a book. She was completely submerged in whatever story she was reading and Kakashi felt like this was as good a time as any to ask. He had been able to get her to say yes to quite a few things when she was in this comfortable buzz. Things she would have usually said no to in most other situations.

He smiled and pressed his hands together pleadingly, feeling like a child asking a parent if he could stay up late. "Please, it's just for a couple of weeks and you won't have to do much, just lead them on a few D-rank missions every so often."

She raised a thin blonde eyelash, "You do know there's much more to being a sensei than that, right? Like training them, teaching them. You know little things like that?"

"Please Yugito, I'm begging you." He pressed, though he seemed to be doing less begging and more asking in his usual calm tone. "The Hokage has called me away on an important mission, and there's no one to take over for me until I get back."

Yugito closed her book with an audible snap before setting him with a glare. "I thought I told you I didn't want to take on a Genin team. I'm just not cut out for it."

"Oh," Kakashi countered lightly. "You took a four year old boy, trained him on and off for eight years and turned him from an ignored child to a capable Shinobi. I know you have the ability to teach green Genin Yugito. I mean look at you. You're a Jōnin level Shinobi, strong, beautiful, capable, courageous, talented and with plenty to teach."

Her blonde eyelashes raised further, a slight smile curling up her full lips. She didn't miss the beautiful part of his little speech. "Flattery will get you nowhere Kakashi, and what does looks have to do with being a good Jōnin-sensei anyway?"

"I've got two boys on my team, and I know for a fact that at least one of them is going to drool and hang onto your every word the moment he meets you. Looks really can come in handy when you're trying to teach something to somebody who is not interested."

"Or it can become an even greater hindrance." Yugito countered before frowning, then fixing him with a glare. "How the hell did we get so off topic? The answer is still no."

Kakashi sighed, and then rose. "Alright, guess I better tell the Hokage to start looking."

Yugito nodded before opening up her book and thumbing back to her page, but before she could get into the next sentence the silver haired Jōnin spoke up again, "Though if you do agree to help me I will throw in a few incentives."

She looked up at him in agitation. The book was called Claymore, about a group of women kidnapped from their homes and genetically altered into soldiers by a shady organisation to fight against demons. She was just getting to a good part too. One of her favourite characters, whom she thought was dead, was now about to lead a revolt against their oppressive masters and she wanted to know what happened next. Still what he said had caught her attention, if just a little and she had to admit that she was intrigued in how he was going to convince her.

"What kind of incentives?" she finally asked with a sigh.

"I'll buy you a month's supply of your favourite sushi." So now he had moved on to bribery?

"Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully, actually considering it for a few moments, "Tempting but no."

"And I'll also agree to teach you a certain technique I know you've been interested in." Kakashi added, noticing how her entire posture froze. His visible eye curled up. He had her. "You know the one. That technique that requires an affinity for lighting, and either huge chakra reserves like yours or a Sharingan eye like mine to use successfully."

She closed the book again with an audible sigh, but the Copynin knew she was truly conflicted about it now. Truth be told Kakashi had planned on showing her that technique anyway. She had become his teammate and although he didn't like to admit it Yugito had become very dear to him, one of the first people he had felt close to since his last team, since Obito, Rin and Minato-sensei. She was already capable of defending herself, but if he added _that _technique to her arsenal then she'll be that much more deadly.

Yugito didn't need to know any of that though.

She looked at him pointedly. "Two weeks?"

"Two weeks," he agreed with a nod. Silence prevailed for the longest time before she leaned back in her armchair and sighed.

"Alright, I'll do it." She almost looked like she was about to groan, but stopped herself, "Definitely two weeks right?"

"Definitely two weeks," Kakashi was already making the hand seals for his escape. "Two weeks to a month."

Her head snapped around so fast he heard the crank of her neck muscles, but by then he was gone, vanishing via a Shunshin no Jutsu, "Kakashi, you asshole!"

He chuckled as he reappeared in the middle of the busy street outside of the Hokage Palace, and taking his book out of his vest pocket blended in with the mid-afternoon crowd and disappeared from sight. He had a team to meet and a mission to accomplish. First though he would send a message to the Hokage.

The old man would be pleased to hear that she'd agreed, considering he'd been trying to convince her to take on a team for months. It wasn't quite what he had hoped for, but it was a step in the right direction. Maybe if this went well he would be able to convince her to take on a team when the next batch of new recruits was ready.

"She's so easy to tease," he snickered. "Just like that time in River Country."

* * *

"Alright," Itachi called out. "It's getting dark. Let's make camp for the night."

It was indeed starting to get dark. The sun was just starting to dip under the trees, and the team had kept moving as Itachi used an extremely low level fire Jutsu to allow them to keep to the road before they found an adequate area of clear land. The thick forest surrounding Konoha was beginning to thin out before the sun had set, and after a few additional minutes they had found an area of flat grassland which was good enough.

Everyone nodded before setting to their tasks. Naruto went into the forest to find firewood for the camp fire while Ino and Shino began setting up the camp. Itachi found a reasonably flat slab of rock and sat down, allowing his team to learn some experience in setting up camp. He pulled out a small scroll from one of his Jōnin vest pockets, unfurled it and activated his Sharingan eyes so he could read the parchment in the dark.

It was the mission request scroll, or rather a copy of the scroll as well as additional information on the mission. He read and reread it a few more times, taking in every detail and committing it to memory.

The request had been made by a small village called Kusatsu in the north of Fire Country. It was a mining community, with plentiful silver mines as well as thick forests which added on a sizable trade of timber. The village was fairly wealthy from these exports, considering they mined the silver and timber themselves, selling them onto the larger businesses.

For all accounts it did seem like a regular search mission. The circumstances hinted at a group of individuals kidnapping people from their homes, a couple of mining workers here, and a family on the outskirts of their village there. All of the accounts suggested that it was the work of slavers of bandits, probably a travelling gang who came across the area by accident. A week to travel there, a few days to find them, a few minutes to disable them and then another week to get back home again.

An open and shut C-rank mission, perfect for new Genin teams, almost too perfect

Naruto arrived a few minutes later with an armful of dry pieces of timber and closing his scroll Itachi rose and walked over to the blond as he set out the campfire, placing rocks in a perimeter before setting the timber in the middle. He was about to pull out a few pieces of flint from his backpack, but stopped when Itachi made a few hand signs, delivering a small stream of liquid flame which ignited the dry branches.

"Cool," Naruto breathed as he watched the flames flicker. A grin soon spread across his face. "You've got to teach me how to do that sensei."

"Perhaps, in time and if you have the affinity you need." Itachi replied before gazing over at Ino and Shino who had just about finished with their work. "Get something to eat and then go to sleep. We have a long day of travelling tomorrow."

The three Genin absently called out an affirmative before rummaging through their backpacks for their rations. Itachi looked on as he took a protein bar from one of his vest pockets and began to eat. Shino had packed the same as him, quietly eating a protein bar and communicating with his hive of insects. The Uchiha was well aware of the Kikaichū attached to his shoulder, but paid it no mind. Ino was nibbling away at a riceball, while Naruto released what looked like a pack of instant ramen from a storage scroll.

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow at this. So he already had a basic understanding of storage scrolls, impressive in a recently promoted Genin. Then again Naruto's performance during the Genin exam had been as unpredictable as it had been impressive. He added a basic knowledge of Fūinjutsu to the boys known growing repertoire of abilities.

The whole night had been strangely silent, almost to the point where he wondered if foreign Shinobi had replaced at least two members of his team with plants, but he guessed it was nerves from their first C-rank mission and let it slide. If they didn't start arguing after a few days then he would check to see if someone had kidnapped his charges.

Itachi volunteered to take the first watch and sat on the flat slab from before, watching the road and keeping his senses on alert. But at the same time he was thinking of what he would teach them. So far he had simply assessed their abilities, but during this mission he saw the perfect chance to start teaching them some more advanced Shinobi practises.

Ino and Shino would definitely need to begin chakra control exercises, namely the tree climbing exercise to boost their chakra control. Both definitely needed it, of that he was sure. Naruto was a bit of a problem though. He had already mastered both tree climbing and water walking, which meant he didn't need any help in controlling his chakra reserves.

Itachi was thoughtful for a moment before a thought hit him, and he chuckled slightly for being so conservative. Midori would definitely berate him for not thinking of it sooner. If Naruto knew all of the basics then he would just begin teaching him more advanced forms, Jutsu techniques and fighting styles among others. He already knew exactly what he would start with, more out of satisfying his own curiosity than anything else.

It would help the kid though.

* * *

Inuzuka Kiba was not having a very bad morning, in fact he hadn't been having a good morning since he had been officially accepted as a Genin. First there was the team he had been assigned with. The academy's number one Sasuke Uchiha and one of his number one fan girls Sakura Haruno. The Uchiha was a tube, and the Haruno girl was a freak, both strength and temper wise.

That wasn't the worst part though. Sure he didn't like either of his teammates, but he was beginning to learn to get along with them. As time went by Sasuke had at least begun to be a little easier to approach, and the Inuzuka had started to enjoy teasing the hell out of him. Sasuke was not an easy person to tease, but Kiba and Akamaru loved a challenge, and it passed the time.

Sakura may look a little cute, but she was a spitfire in every meaning of the word. She had a very short fuse, especially when it came with anything negative about _her _Sasuke-kun. Kiba had already been hit an innumerable number of times by the pink haired menace because he said something brash without thinking. He had even dared to ask her out two days after they passed their sensei's exam, and he was still feeling the bump on the head she gave him for it.

The only saving grace which stopped him from being pummelled black and blue was Akamaru. As every time Sakura saw him she would squeal about how cute he was and almost drowned him with affection. The puppy didn't seem to mind, if anything he loved every second of it. So as long as he had Akamaru to act as a shield then he could deal with Sakura.

The thing that really pissed him off was their sensei, apparently one of the strongest Ninja in Konoha according to Sasuke, something his brother had told him. When he talked about Kakashi in front of his family his older sister Hana would sigh dreamily, as did every other female of his family between the age group of twelve and above.

It really freaked him out.

He didn't see what was so great about their sensei. He was always late by at least two hours, and worse of all he would tell them to arrive at nine in the morning even though he didn't arrive until twelve. They would do missions then he would put them through a basic training regime and tell them that he would see them tomorrow. The man was lazy, too laidback for it to be natural, always late and worse of all he read soft core pornin _public_.

It was the only thing that he read!

Just thinking about it made the Inuzuka fall back against the grass and growl, wishing to go to the training post and rip the wooden stump into a dozen pieces. His life was over, there was no way he would survive this completely unscathed. If Sasuke's stoic nihilism and Sakura's fangirlism didn't get him then his sensei's perverted nature and lack of a sense of time would.

He could already see his tombstone laid out before him.

It was Monday, nine in the morning. He had arrived a few minutes before to see that Sasuke was already there, sitting against a tree and trying to ignore Sakura as she continued to try and talk to him. Kiba growled again, noticing Akamaru give him a concerned bark. You'd think that after a couple of weeks she would get the message that he wasn't interested, yet she stilled fawned over him.

And he had to deal with this for another three hours.

He really wanted to break something.

His watch ticked nine o'clock and he got the biggest shock of his life when a figure appeared in the middle of the training field via a Shunshin no Jutsu. Kiba looked up, stunned, while Akamaru let out a couple of warning barks. Sasuke and Sakura looked up as well as the wind settled.

The first emotion which Kiba felt was disbelief. Kakashi-sensei was actually on time. The idea was almost laughable if not downright ludicrous. In the two weeks since he had become their sensei he had never been on time, just thinking about him being on time made the Inuzuka's head spin. It wasn't until Akamaru let out a few low key barks that he realised that it couldn't be Kakashi-sensei. His pup looked nervous, either only brought on by an enemy or a stranger.

He looked at the figure and gawked.

A woman was approaching them, and she was... hot, _smoking hot_.

She wore a similar uniform to Kakashi-sensei which consisted of a leaf green jacket, pants, black Shinobi sandals and a Jōnin vest. Her Hatai-ite was tied to her forehead, half hidden by blonde bangs. A katana was diagonally strapped to her back and a kunai pouch was attached to her right thigh.

Kiba forced his mouth shut with an audible click. By the Kami above she was mind numbingly gorgeous. Her legs were long and despite the clothing seemed to stretch forever. She had an hourglass figure, amazingly shapely thighs and boobs which were either a high C or a low D-cup. Her face was perfection, pale unblemished skin, slightly slanted eyes with piercing chocolate orbs, sharp features, cute nose, light blonde hair tied into a braid with a white cloth which stretched down to the small of her back.

She was the sexiest thing he had ever seen on two legs.

Kiba was completely unaware that he was drooling.

She looked at them and spoke in a honeyed voice which completely sealed the idea that she was a figment of his imagination. He must have dosed off, he had too have dosed off there was just no other way to explain this.

"Is this team seven consisting of Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke under the apprenticeship of Jōnin Hatake Kakashi?" she asked, looking the three of them over with a calculating gaze.

Kiba's voice was caught in his throat. Sasuke's wasn't, "Yes."

"Good," she replied. "My name is Yugito Nii, and I have been assigned as a substitute instructor until Kakashi-san returns."

Kiba knew this was a dream, without a doubt. He was definitely asleep. He would wake up any moment and the being of perfection before him would be gone and they would still be waiting for Kakashi-sensei to show up.

He barely heard Sakura's voice as she asked a question. "Um, Yugito-sensei, where is Kakashi-sensei?"

"He's on a classified mission." The goddess replied, now standing right in front of him. She looked down at him with a frown, crouched and softly flicked him on the forehead. "You with us little man?"

Kiba rubbed his forehead, groaning in pain before it hit him. She had hit him, if this was a dream he wouldn't have felt it. This was reality. "Yes ma'am, I'm with you!"

She smiled before rising to her feet. "Have any of you had breakfast yet?"

All three shook their heads.

"Then let's go get some."

Kiba jumped to his feet, following the woman alongside his Genin team, noticing the beautifully curved shape of her derrière as she walked. By Kami he didn't hate Kakashi-sensei, but he hoped the masked Jōnin's mission would take a while, a good long while.

* * *

She had led them to a little traditional cafe right in the centre of the village, taken them inside and found them a table. Sasuke watched the woman closely as they gave their orders to a smiling waitress before settling into a slightly uncomfortable silence. Well it was uncomfortable for them. Their new sensei didn't look perturbed in the least.

Nii Yugito definitely carried herself like a Shinobi, and by her attire she was definitely an elite Jōnin but besides that he couldn't tell much about her. All he knew so far was that she had arrived on time, which was already a serious plus in his book, and she wasn't reading anything that should be borderline illegal to read in public.

"So, um, sensei," it was Sakura who spoke up, sometimes her curiosity could be a good thing. "What type of mission is Kakashi-sensei doing?"

Yugito looked up at her for a moment before offering a slight smile. "All I can tell you is that it's A-ranked and serious. Other than that the information is on a need to know, meaning that I wasn't made privy to the details either."

"Oh," Sakura replied, deflating a little.

"All that I do know is that the mission has a time span between two weeks to a month, and until then he has recruited me to take over for him." The food arrived just as she finished her sentence, and the four person group dug in.

When they had all finished Yugito pulled out a scroll from her vest and unfurled it, showing the three of them their academy stats. "Okay, first off I want to know everything Kakashi-san has taught you so far, everything."

The three of them were silent for a long moment, making their new Jōnin-sensei raise her delicate blonde eyelashes questioningly. Finally Sakura spoke up, slightly timid. "Um, he hasn't taught us much yet."

The eyelashes ascended almost to her blonde bangs, before narrowing in a frown, "Anything at all?"

Kiba growled, "Exercising and the odd sparring, that's about it."

"Has he taught you any basic survival techniques?"

They shook their heads.

"Chakra control exercises?"

They shook their heads again.

"Teamwork exercises?"

Again with the shaking of the heads, the pup on the feral kids head started to look dizzy.

"Anything?"

The pup almost fell of his owner's head.

Yugito let out an irritating sigh as she sat back in her chair and massaged her temple. "I knew it. When he gets back I'm going to throttle him."

"S-sensei."

She slammed her hands against the wooden table, startling the three Genin thrown under her command. "Alright, guess I'll have to start training you from scratch then. First things first, after we leave here we're going back to the training grounds where I'm going to show you the first step in chakra control exercises, after that I will be spending the next few days finding out your strengths and weaknesses and how to counteract them, so no missions during the next few days."

The three of them were openly gawking at her now, and Yugito wanted to hit that mask wearing buffoon right on the nose. She might be hauled into the torture and interrogation department for an hour of questioning afterward but with her mood being what it was she would consider it worthwhile.

"Finish your breakfast. We start the second we get back." She crossed her arms and huffed. Yugito took a deep, calming breath as she considered how she was going to punish her carefree teammate when he got back. She grinned as her mind began going through the possibilities, many of them with _Naruto _and _Prank_ in their dossiers.

Several kilometres away a certain silver haired Shinobi felt a monumental chill creep up his spine.

* * *

_**Of Parents and Teachers**_

_**Part I**_

Yugito was standing at the kitchen counter, deftly cutting up a couple of carrots with a carving knife as Naruto opened the door to their little apartment, muttering that he was home. The elder blonde turned her head with a smile, ready to reply to him but stopped when she saw him come into view.

He looked awful. His head was lowered and his aura was radiating a mass of emotions, mainly confusion, disappointment and embarrassment. Yugito frowned, what had happened to him at academy today that he would be this depressed. He dragged his feet as he moved around the sofa and unceremoniously fell into it, uttering a groan as his face collided with the pillow.

She set down the knife and carrots before making her way over to him, sitting beside him on the sofa and giving him a worried glance. "Naruto, sweetie, sit up and look at me."

Naruto obliged, albeit slowly and awkwardly. Outwardly the nine year old was trying to school his expressions, but as always his eyes gave him away. It was almost impossible for him to lie with those eyes which were so full of emotion. Something had definitely happened at school, something that was bad enough to sour her baby's mood.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, and watched as the younger blond sighed, pulled off his backpack and started to rummage through it. Eventually he pulled out a small file of paper, a test paper if she wasn't mistaken and after a few moments of hesitation presented it to her. She took it from him and looked it through, immediately noticing the F stamped prominently on the front page.

She remembered this test. This was one of the final exams at the end of his previous semester. Yugito remembered it prominently because she had helped him study for it at least a week and a half before the examination date. Her confusion shone on her face as she remembered that he knew each possible question that could be asked off by heart. "Oh sweetheart, what happened?"

Naruto looked up at her, looking lost, confused and wanted nothing more than to fall on her lap and cry. "I-I don't know. I remember going through the test, knowing every question and answering it. I came out of it feeling good and that I passed but..."

Yugito frowned as she flipped open the first page, then her frown deepened as she continued to read. She noticed a few problems with what she saw. For one the questions were answered pitifully, like whoever was given the paper hadn't even bothered to study for it or try on the date. There were even doodles of faces and obscene gestures on the side of the pages. Then she noticed that the handwriting wasn't Naruto's, as an elite Jōnin she knew her sons handwriting style to the point where she could forge his signature, but unlike her sons this one was messy and looked like it came from someone who had just learned how to write.

Her final assessment of this paper was that it was not her sons.

"Are you sure this was your paper?"

Naruto looked up at her questioningly. "Yeah, Mizuki-sensei was handing out our marks and he gave me this one. It even had my name on the front page."

This was the front page of his exam paper, but it wasn't her baby's exam paper. Yugito sighed, closed the paper and ruffled his blond hair. "Sweetheart, did you even check the paper itself and not just read the mark?"

Naruto shook his head before accepting the paper and flicking it open. His eyes widened as he went from page to page. "This isn't mine," he shook his head frantically, almost to the point of tears. "This isn't my paper mom, you have to believe me!"

She smiled as she ruffled his hair again, happy that the motion seemed to calm him down. "I believe you sweetheart, just leave it to me."

Someone had sabotaged her son's exam paper, and whoever it was he was going to wish that they had never been born. It was time to put her Ninja skills to the test. First she would call someone to sit with Naruto for a little while.

Yugao was on a mission.

Anko was free, if she wasn't getting drunk in some bar.

Maybe Kurenai was the better option, definitely the better option.

* * *

_**Author's Note 1: **_Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, I make no profit from posting this story.

_**Author's Note 2: **_Now we have officially gotten the ball rolling on the new act of this story. The next chapter is only about a third of the way done, but after a while I just decided to upload a finished product for those of you who were patiently waiting.


	16. Chapter 15: Underneath the Underneath

_**Chapter 15**_

_**Underneath the Underneath**_

The site was still swarming with ANBU and medical Ninja as Kakashi and his small elite team began their work. Bodies were being carefully placed into body bags, several medical specialists and specially trained Military Police were tiptoeing through the area to look for any clues as to the identity of the attacker and several ANBU agents stood guard in the surrounding trees on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.

Kakashi continued to watch the scene, spotting an Inuzuka and his dog in Military Police uniform as the animal sniffed for any scents. Since the revolt the Uchiha clan had relinquished a lot of their control in the Military Police. Uchiha Shisui still held the top position but the Uchiha had changed their recruitment policy and extended an invitation to other clans.

There were now Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Hyuga and Nara working in the police force as well as a higher number of civilian background Ninja. Yet another surprise Uchiha Shisui had thrown at the village. Well the young man was becoming something of a master at surprises.

First he introduced a charter which stated that Uchiha could marry outside the clan, then he changed the recruitment of the Military Police and now there were talks that he was confiding with other Uchiha officials about allowing their merchants to trade outside of the walls of their compound. There was even talk of him demolishing the clan compounds defensive walls.

Kakashi shook his head, forcing the thoughts to the back of his mind. He had a mission to accomplish. Hana was already moving through the perimeter with her three canine companions, senses on high alert for anything which would have been missed. Haru was already on one of the tree tops, Byakugan eyes activated and checking the surrounding ground. Even Kakashi had unveiled his Sharingan eye to look around.

He was searching through a set of weeds covered in dried blood before he felt a shadow on his back. He turned, fixing both his natural and burrowed eyes on Uchiha Mitoko as she came to a rest. Her gaze lingered on Obito's Sharingan before trailing off to some unseen thing in the forest.

"I think it would be best if you checked the spot of Itsuki's death. He might have left a clue as to the identity of the killer."

Kakashi nodded before rising to his feet and walking across the field to the forest beyond. He walked until he came across the tree, nodding to the few Military Police and Medics still canvassing the area. The body had been removed and placed in a bag a few hours ago, but the blood dried against the bark was still there for all to see.

The Copynin looked over the entire tree with his Sharingan eye, from the bark to the branches to the leaves themselves, yet he found next to nothing on the plant. He searched furtner, lengthening his gaze to the surrounding ground and woodland, yet there was nothing that his eye could see. Whoever had attacked this squad had covered his tracks meticulously.

"There's nothing here." Kakashi spoke up as he rose from his crouch and covered his Sharingan eye. "Whoever did this was clearly not an amateur. Any potential evidence has been removed from the scene."

Mikoto frowned, but nodded her head. "What do you suggest?"

"Assemble a few Hyuga and Uchiha to further canvass the area, the _entire_ area." Kakashi replied as he walked a few steps towards the clearing and stopped. "See if they could find anything we missed. Other than that it looks like we're going to be doing a spot of travelling. The question is should we go to the site on the border first or the site in the capital?"

"You're asking me?"

"Yes."

The Uchiha frowned. Both sites were in opposite directions from Konoha. "I say the border site first, and if nothing turns up there then check the city."

"Alright," Kakashi agreed. "Let's get to it."

* * *

"Tree climbing?"

"Correct," Yugito said, standing in front of the three Genin cell, arms folded under her considerable bust and eyes scanning the confused expressions of the three, well two, Sasuke looked as bored as ever. "Tree climbing is a basic essential of Shinobi skills, if you don't know these techniques then you're no better than an untrained civilian on a battlefield. From what I understand the three of you have been sufficiently taught on how to channel chakra, right?"

At their nods she continued. "Good, then this will be a lot easier. In order to perform this exercise you will need to concentrate your chakra to the soles of your feet, too little and your feet won't stick, too much and you will be put down _hard._ That means that you need to get the amount of chakra precise if you are to do this exercise, any questions?"

Sakura timidly raised her hand, "Can you show us how it's done?"

Yugito looked at the girl for a moment before nodding her head, "That's not a problem Sakura, but watch closely."

She walked serenely up to the nearest thick trunked tree, placed her hands together in a basic chakra concentration seal, concentrated her chakra to the soles of her feet and placed her right foot against the trunk. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Sakura and Kiba's mouths drop open when she simply walked up the trunk and hung upside down on the thickest, strongest branch, arms folded and carefree smile in place. Even Sasuke looked impressed, if slightly.

"Right, now that the example is out of the way I'll leave you too it," she stated, fishing through her weapons pouch and throwing three kunai to their feet. "Use those kunai to mark your progress, for beginners I'd say it would be best to get a running start."

She released her hold, falling the twenty feet with ease born of years of practise and landed in a crouch on the ground, looking up in time to see that the three students had already chosen a tree each and were preparing to begin.

Kiba threw caution to the wind and made a run for his tree. The Inuzuka made it two steps before falling on his back, emitting a weak squawk of pain before cursing colourfully. Sasuke watched his teammate impassively for a moment before concentrating his chakra and running for his tree. He did better, if only slightly, making it up a full four steps, slashing his kunai across the bark and performing a backward somersault as he fell, landing in a crouch and looking up with a slight scowl.

Yugito had put so much attention on the males that she didn't notice the female of the team until she called down to her two teammates. Sakura was sitting on a midlevel branch of her tree, spindly legs dangling and triumphant smile in place. The blonde smiled as she rose and walked over, noticing both of the males scowl at their pink haired teammate.

"Very good Sakura." she applauded, "Though with your chakra control I'm not surprised that you'd get it on your first couple of tries."

"Hai, sensei." She chirped before looking over in Sasuke's direction. Yugito frowned as she turned her head, noticing the Uchiha turning his head away from her, as if he were annoyed that she had beaten him. The substitute sensei didn't miss the downtrodden look the female of the group took on either, definitely something that needed to be fixed.

"Alright," she called as she clapped her hands together, regaining her other two pupils attention. "The two of you keep on going, don't stop until either you make it to Sakura's height or I tell you to stop. Sakura, can I have a moment please?"

The two boys quickly grumbled an affirmative and got back to work, sizing up the huge tree trunks like opponents in a spar. Yugito watched them for a few moments before turning around and walking to the side of the clearing, well aware of Sakura following her with a slightly confused look. The blonde continued until they were past the first line of hedges, and promptly sat down.

"I have a question for you, Sakura." She began, catching the Kunoichi of the group's attention.

"Yes sensei?"

"Why did you decide to become a Shinobi? What were your reasons?" Yugito gave her a level look, watching every movement for a sign of her thoughts. "If it is what I think it is then I will tell you to stop now."

She looked confused.

"The life of a Shinobi is not like those shows on television, nor would it be considered easy. There are a lot of things in our line of work which we will have to do. Things that may go against your morals or sense of right and wrong." The Jōnin held her eyes for a moment, and it was her temporary student who broke contact. "What were your reasons for becoming a Shinobi? Was it for a boy that you like?"

The girl seemed outraged for a moment, a biting remark on the tip of her tongue, but the moment her emerald eyes challenged the older, wiser, and unbreakable chocolate brown gaze of her teacher they changed. Finally, after several moments of starring she conceded and dumbly nodded her head. Yugito sighed softly to herself.

"I should have known." The blonde opened her eyes again and gave the pink haired girl a withering look. "The life of a Shinobi is not some childhood dream Sakura. It is a profession of soldiers and assassins. We will be called upon during a time of war or even a time of peace to maim and kill our enemies. Very few Shinobi live into old age. Are you willing to put your life on the line for a simple childhood crush?"

"Sasuke's more than a-"

Yugito raised a hand, effectively silencing her. "Don't talk to me like I have had no experience in such things. I have had a few childhood crushes of my own, mainly Shinobi, and do you know what became of them?"

She didn't answer.

"Nothing," she replied with a sad smile. "The first boy I had a crush on died on some battlefield in a far off country before I could tell him, and he was the only one since then. Love and the lives of Shinobi rarely mix well, most of the time your partner or you will die young. That is a certain thing in our line of work. Now I will ask you again. Why did you decide to become a Shinobi?"

Sakura looked at her for a long moment, mouth working and then breaking from time to time as she tried to come up with a good excuse in wanting to throw herself into this line of work. Yugito did not speak, did not move. She simply waited for her temporary student to answer her. After several minutes, punctuating from time to time by Kiba's loud swearing as he failed yet another attempt, Sakura sighed and looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

"Sasuke is the only reason, sensei."

"That's not good enough." Yugito replied softly, and she noticed the girl flinch as if she had been smacked. She thought for a moment. "I tell you what Sakura. I'm going to give you an assignment."

The girl looked up at her as Yugito raised a single finger.

"One month, by then you will have done several D-rank missions and maybe even a C-rank under Kakashi. Give me a real reason why you want to become Shinobi within that time frame." Yugito smiled softly. "I'm not going to kick you out of the program Sakura, but if you can't give me a good reason then I will recommend that you quit. I won't force you, but I will recommend it to you."

"Yes sensei."

"I'm not being cruel Sakura, even if you believe I am." Yugito said when she saw the traces of anger in her eyes. It was there, simmering, like a child being told she can't watch her favourite show, only magnified tenfold. "I just want you to make your own choice, without something silly like 'I'm doing it for a boy' clouding your judgement. You're young, you have talent and you have potential. Don't waste it, don't die on some easily forgotten turf of land if you have something else you wish to do. Do you understand?"

Sakura sniffled, wiping away unshed tears from her eyes before setting them upon her with a new determination, one where her eyes burned like molten emerald. "Yes sensei."

"Good," Yugito smirked. "That's a fire I like to see. Now back to your tree-climbing, and don't come to me before your time limit is up. Think long and hard about it and remember it won't just be your answer I'm looking for, but a will or fire behind it as well."

Internally she groaned. If old man Hokage-sama overheard her saying that he would undoubtedly think he was rubbing off on her, probably greet her with a knowing smirk of victory while he was at it.

Can't have that, right?

* * *

Ino sighed in frustration as the sun dipped over the hills for the sixth time since they had started their trek. Itachi had called for them to halt and set up camp barely a half hour ago, and they were only just finishing up as the daylight began to fade. The sleeping bags were laid out, the fire was going and the lookout roster had been reviewed for the night.

Now they were eating around the fire, regaining their strength in preparation for their arrival to the small village. According to Itachi-sensei they would be arriving tomorrow morning at noon, but first they needed to meet with someone who was going to guide them there. She wasn't sure how they were going to know, but sensei didn't seem to be bothered. Then again sensei never seemed to be bothered.

He always carried himself with an air of confidence and skill, just like Sasuke did. He was always so cool and in control, just like Sasuke, and he was so mysterious. She sighed dreamily at the thought before shaking her head. He was also a good teacher, though most of his lessons to date were recaps of the academy curriculum as well as exercise and Taijutsu sessions.

"Naruto has the first watch." Itachi said as he finished off another ration bar. "Everyone get something to eat then go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

The three of them nodded and immediately fished inside their backpacks for the scrolls containing their rations. Ino didn't really care for the rations bars, considering they tasted like wet cardboard. Honestly how could Itachi-sensei eat nothing but them without driving himself insane? They were certainly driving her insane, and Ino couldn't wait until they reached the village if for no other reasons than a hot meal and an actual bed to sleep in, maybe a bath as well.

She looked over at her other teammates and scowled. Shino had already finished his meal and was having a conversation with his Kikaichū as usual. Naruto on the other hand had just finished up boiling another carton of instant ramen. Really did he have anything else? It was all he ate. That wasn't the worst part though. He didn't have any manners at all, perfectly content to shovelling the broth and noodles into his mouth like a compactor.

Finally he noticed her glowering expression, and wiping a trickle of broth from his mouth gave her a similar glare. "Oi, what are you looking at?"

"You," she snapped. "Do you honestly eat anything else but ramen? It's probably why your growth is so stunted."

He glared at Ino, only for it to be matched by her own, before promptly ignoring her and returning his attention to his ramen. The dismissal just seemed to make her sudden bad mood even worse. Ino was tired and bored out of her mind, and those all came together to make a snappy and easily annoyed Yamanaka with an extremely short fuse.

She ate her ration bar quickly and excused herself for the night, unzipping and slipping into her sleeping bag, watching as the flames of the campfire flickered in the moonlight. A few minutes later both Shino and Itachi also excused themselves, leaving the annoying blond with the first watch.

Ino glared at him as he marched over to a slab of stone and sat on it, looking out over the hill that they had decided to camp on. She settled down, closed her eyes and tried to find that perfect moment where sleep would claim her. Really what did she care if he had the table manners of a ravenous monkey. It wasn't her problem.

Three hours passed.

Naruto yawned loudly before glancing down at his watch, watching as the seconds ticked by almost torturously slowly. His night shift was almost over. Soon he would be relieved by Shino and go to sleep. By Kami he really craved it at the moment considering they had been marched from dawn to dusk, plus the fact that with each passing day both he and Ino seemed to want to rip each other's heads off.

He didn't know what her problem with him was, every so often he would say something or come up with some game to pass the time only for her to vote against it and come up with something else. The two spent most of their time arguing and bickering, and he had a feeling it was beginning to annoy both their sensei and their other teammate, though both were good at hiding it.

A tap on the shoulder startled him from his train of thought, and he looked up to see Shino looking back down at him. The Aburame helped him to his feet before taking his place on the slab of rock. "I am here to relieve you."

"Thanks, I am relieved." Naruto replied before turning and stretching with a yawn. He was getting sleepier with each passing moment and all he wanted to do was crawl in his sleeping bag and go to sleep, but before that duty called.

He walked into the trees and relieved himself before moving back to the campsite, by then he was so tired that he didn't notice Shino and was just barely aware of the dying fire. He walked over to the nearest sleeping bag, befuddled mind thinking it was his own and crawled inside it. Naruto frowned at the tight fit, but was otherwise too tired to care. He was barely aware of how warm the sleeping bag was before he fell asleep, wrapping his arms around said warmth as he nodded off.

Ino had been having a nice dream, a good dream, a brilliant dream. She had been in that moment of bliss that could only come from a really out of this world dream. She was lying in her bed in her room, a warm body pressing against her back, arms wrapped tightly around her waist and hot breath wafting across her neck. The one behind her was definitely Sasuke, of that she had no doubt.

She sighed happily as his hold around her waist tightened, and a head pressed against the crux of her slender neck. Ino released a slight groan, then a giggle when she felt something hard press against her butt. This dream was very realistic.

So caught up in her dream she was that she didn't notice the very un-Sasuke like smell which slowly reached her nostrils. She sniffed the air, taking in the undeniable aroma of Ramen and then she heard a mumble, which wasn't in Sasuke's voice. For one it was too deep, too gravelly.

She opened her eyes, hearing the songs of crickets and the flickering light of a slowly dying camp fire. This was obviously not her room. The memories and information slowly filtered into her befuddled mind and she immediately calmed down. They were on their first C-rank mission, how could she forget?

It took her a few moments to realise that the hard feeling of a warm body pressed against hers hadn't vanished with her return to the real world, and suddenly her mind went into a temporary state of confusion, then surprise, then a slightest hint of fear. Another sleepy mumble assaulted her ears, and another waft of ramen tinged breath fell upon her neck.

Slowly Ino turned in her sleeping bag, and came face to face with the intruder, and immediately her fear and confusion slowly gave way to a searing, embarrassed rage. Naruto's sleeping face starred back at her, slowly walking up as if he felt the death glare she was throwing his way. He blinked a few times before looking straight at her. It took him a couple of moments to realise how thoroughly screwed he was.

The fact that his eyes were as wide as saucers and his tanned skin seemed to become deathly pale completely escaped the young Yamanaka, as well as the possibility that there might have been a completely innocent explanation for why he was in her sleeping bag using her as a dual pillow and body warmer. All her mind registered was that he was in her sleeping bag, apparently feeling her up in his sleep and that was definitely not a kunai pressed against her stomach.

What he said next was just the spark needed to ignite the inferno. "What are you doing in my sleeping bag?"

Her glare could have melted steel, and every fibre of Naruto's being was screaming roughly the same thing. The male in him was telling him to run for the hills and never look back. The Ninja in him was furiously shouting at him to abort the mission, and in the very back of his mind the child in him was silently urging him to cry for his mommy.

"Uzumaki Naruto," her voice was so soft and venomous that he knew he would be lucky to see the rising sun. When Ino was like this he knew he was in for the beating of his life. "You are a dead man."

Naruto was barely able to stifle an almost girlish scream before she ripped off the sleeping bag and began throwing him around the camp like a rag doll coupled as a punching bag. Ino was a tornado, screaming pervert and threatening to both neuter and dissect him if he ever even looked at her funny ever again.

The commotion made Shino's head snap in the direction to the camp and watch the beat down with a mixture of awe and fear, not that he would show it. Itachi-sensei made no real movement, other than to open his eyes, peek in the general direction of the massacre, shrug and fall back to his state of light sleep.

After a few minutes a heavily panting Ino, fuming and spent stomped back to her sleeping bag, leaving a black and blue and slightly unconscious Naruto in her wake. She looked up at Shino with an icy glare and ground out. "What?"

The Aburame was smart enough to get the message as he averted his eyes and looked across the landscape from his place on the ridge.

* * *

"Alright, welcome back team seven," Iruka greeted from his place. As usual the Sandaime Hokage sat in the centre of the table, with Iruka on his left and another Chūnin she didn't know on his right. "Today we have a few D-rank missions for you. Let's see there's dog-walking, pest control at the academy, construction work for the new shopping centre-"

"Ah, come on," all looked up to see Kiba growl and flail his hands in the air. "Not more D-rank missions, I'm sick and tired of them. Can't we get something better like a- YEEAAWW!"

Sakura decked Kiba on the top of the head, Yugito moving swiftly to get the Inuzuka's little white puppy out of the firing line before his owner was levelled. Akamaru looked down as Kiba massaged the top of his head, before turning and giving Yugito a friendly lick to the cheek. She had been holding him a little too close to her chest she realised.

"Why do you have to be such a loud obnoxious idiot?" Sakura yelled, giving the Inuzuka a death glare which was returned with as much vehemence.

"Shut up Pinkie," Kiba growled back, ignoring her sudden glare. "I'm getting tired of weeding lawns and delivering supplies. We're not handymen, we're god damned Ninja!"

"Hn," the noise obviously came from the Uchiha of the group. Sasuke looked as calm and uncaring as he always did. "I can't believe I'm actually going to say this but... I agree with Kiba."

"Oh wow," Sakura gushed, ignoring the groan from both her sensei and her fellow teammate. "Sasuke you're so right!"

Yugito folded her arms under her bust and sighed. This little problem was not a surprise. It had been festering for quite a while. She had seen Kiba getting more and more frustrated as time went on. During the three day long training sojourn he had been more than happy, and had been in the same mindset during the first two days of missions.

It was during the last two days of the week that she started to notice the loudest of the trio slowly begin to get more agitated, and although he was good at hiding it Sasuke looked like he was getting a little uneasy with the D-ranks as well. The only one of the three who didn't seem to mind was the female of the group, who actually seemed to be content with doing the village's mundane tasks.

The Sandaime Hokage frowned at the display, to which Yugito could only give him a shrug of apology before his attention became completely focused on her. "Yugito, is your team ready for such a mission."

She softly scratched her cheek, looking a little uncomfortable. "It's not whether I think they're ready or not. I feel that Kakashi should be the one to take them on their first C-rank."

"Ah come on sensei," Kiba cried a little too dramatically. "We're completely ready for this, and you've taught us more in the past week than Kakashi-sensei has taught us in a fortnight."

"I agree with the dope," Sasuke added, ignoring Kiba's insulted outburst. "We're more than ready."

"Yeah, that's right." Sakura added.

Yugito looked at the three of them before sighing. "I suppose Kakashi wouldn't mind if I took them out on their first C-rank, they are as ready as they'll ever be."

"Then it's settled," the Sandaime spoke up with a little amused smile, which caused the blonde Nibi Jinchūriki to frown slightly. Had he been planning this? "Iruka, I believe if Yugito-san say's they are ready then they are ready."

Iruka looked less than convinced, but he opened the infamous drawer and pulled out a folder with a C prominently displayed anyway. "Okay, this should do it. The mission is simple enough, escort a bridge builder to his home in the Land of Waves and guard him while he finishes building the bridge between Wave and Fire. Protection level is said to be against petty thieves and bandits."

The Hokage looked it over, nodded and held it out for Yugito to take. The Azure Cat walked across the room, plucked the file from the kindly old man's hand and started to read. All the while the Sandaime continued to discuss the mission with the rest of the team. "The man who requested this is waiting in the lobby. Send him in please!"

There was a moment of silence before said man entered the room. He was in his middle years, late forties to early fifties with a scruffy beard and hair which had turned white with age,. His skin was tanned with a broad physique between muscle and fat. He wore a pretty simple attire of a dark green vest, khaki pants, sandals and a small straw hat over his head. A sake bottle was held in his hand, and he looked a little drunk as he half stumbled into the room.

Yugito's opinion of this man took a nose dive when she saw the liquor bottle, sure she liked the occasional drink, but she didn't like drunks. Team seven's opinion of him didn't seem to be that high either, but they remained wisely quiet as the tipsy old man looked them over and scoffed. "What is this? I ask for Ninja and I get a couple of kids."

The blonde Jinchūriki frowned at him, as did the Hokage. "I assure you Tazuna-san that these _Ninja_ are more than capable for the mission you assigned to us, and Yugito-san here is one of the finest Shinobi in our arsenal."

The old bridge builder looked right at her, and Yugito looked straight back without flinching. She had faced down murderers, rapists and Nukenin. A little old man was nothing. Finally he shrugged and turned around.

"Whatever," he said with a slight hiccup. "My life is in the hands of a bunch of kids and someone who would probably make a good trophy wife."

Yugito gnashed her teeth, before looking at the Hokage, who smiled weakly back at her. "Try not to kill the client."

"I make no promises." She replied, sighing before looking over her team. Kiba looked a step away from trying to kill the old man, with Sakura holding him back. Sasuke looked as disinterested as ever, something she had come to expect in the youngest member of the former Uchiha Clan Heads family.

"Get ready to go and meet at the west gate in one hour. Bring adequate supplies for an extended mission, a month's worth at most. Step to it."

They were out the door in the blink of an eye, followed by a grumbling client a few moments later. Yugito was the last to leave, but was stopped by the old man's voice, "Yugito-san, just a moment."

She turned, nodding her head and waiting for the door to close, keen senses already fully aware of the sound proofing seals activating. Iruka and the other Chūnin noticed this as well, but choose not to say anything as the old man took a quick puff of his pipe before looking her in the eye.

"I'm upgrading his request to a B-rank mission."

She eyed him for a moment, "May I ask why, Hokage-sama."

"Tazuna-san hails from the Land of Waves," Sarutobi replied. "You are aware of what is happening in that country."

"Yes sir," the blonde replied. "The Gato Corporation has bought out all trade and shipping. There are rumours that he's attempting to starve the population into submission and killing anyone who even speaks out against him."

"Indeed, which is why I'm upgrading this assignment," The Hokage nodded his head.

* * *

Finally the village came into sight, surrounded by a wooden palisade of thick spiked timber, tops of the largest structures just peeking over the top. Flat land in turn surrounded the walled settlement, broken by the odd rolling hill. To the west they saw the large form of mountains, maybe a mile from the closest tree line. The land had been converted to farmland, with the odd small house dotted here and there.

They passed by one such house, only to see that it was nothing more than a wreck. The wood which consisted of the walls was charred and blackened. The roof had caved in several places and the windows were wrecks of twisted frames and jagged glass.

Ino frowned as she surveyed the wreckage. Naruto and Shino did likewise, but Itachi studied it with a calculating gaze. It appeared that whatever was happening was worse than they were led to believe. The village was nestled on top of a hill, surrounded by a wooden palisade fortification which looked like it would be nothing more than a slight annoyance to a trained Shinobi. There were a couple of guard towers, but other than that nothing.

As they got closer to the outer walls Naruto spotted a stranger standing at the side of the road, almost as if he was waiting for them. The man wore a wide brimmed straw hat, a simple brownish kimono and a pair of simple black travelling sandals. Under the hat he saw an aging face of wrinkled skin and wispy white hair barely visible, but his chocolate eyes were sharp and alert.

They walked until they were within ten feet of the man, who stepped forward and bowed lowly. "Welcome to the village of Kusatsu. My name is Fushou Takahashi, and I have been asked to be your guide."

Itachi nodded in response, "we will need to meet with the village leader immediately."

"Yes, of course." The man replied before looking over each child. All three kids no longer held themselves with excitement and bravado, but instead they were nervous. It was clearly visible in their posture. Itachi didn't blame them. He could feel something ominous resounding from this place. "Please follow me."

The middle aged man turned on his heel and walked towards the village. Wordlessly Team Eight followed, and after a few moments their sensei spoke. "It appears that the situation has become worse than reported."

The old man gave no outward sign of replying at first, but he sighed. "It has. The attacks have been coming with more frequency. The attackers have managed to kidnap an additional seven people since the request was sent. The mines and timber camps have been abandoned and all of the residences outside of the walls have been evacuated."

Itachi nodded his head. "Is there any confirmation on the identity of the attackers?"

The man who identified himself as Fushou shook his head. "No, but I'm not privy to all of the information."

They stopped a few meters from the large wooden gates, which towered over them by at least three meters. Itachi could make out the figures of a few armed men on the rampart above, civilian militia most likely, two of whom seemed to be carrying halberds at least a meter taller than they were.

"Open the gates. The Konohanin are here!" Fushou made a gesture and the great gates were opened with a loud creak. He walked across the threshold without a word, and just as silently the four man team followed.

The interior of the village was made up of mostly wooden structures, houses and stalls lined the main street, but the streets made the village look like a ghost town, there was no human movement or presences other than the men on the walls. The Uchiha looked up in time to see at least ten men wearing simple civilian clothes, mainly tunics and pants, standing on the battlements with an assortment of weapons, some carried halberds, others had swords and knives strapped to their waists and even others carried projectile weapons like bows and crossbows.

As they walked along the main street of the small mining village they finally noticed life, people were watching them pass by from the windows of the surrounding houses, mostly tired looking women holding scared children. It was difficult to look at. The fear in their eyes showed just how desperate these people were, not something brought about by a simple group of bandits.

Itachi began to get a sinking feeling. His students had sobered with the mood, looking around the almost eerily abandoned streets nervously. Even Naruto appeared to completely catch on to the situation.

"Alright you three, spread out and start gathering some information from the locals." Itachi told them while keeping an eye on their guide. "Gather as much information from the townspeople as you can, understood?"

The three of them nodded their heads.

"Good," the Jonin nodded his head before looking at Shino. "Tell your Kikaichū to activate their tracking. If anything happens to them let me know."

"Yes sensei."

"Very good, move out."

They vanished in a trio of blurs, jumping across the rooftops in different directions.

* * *

The puddle of rainwater was usually not suspicious. Any civilian would have dismissed it as unimportant almost immediately. But considering it was in the middle of the road, under a boiling sun with no real rainfall for weeks it suddenly became very suspicious, especially to a Shinobi.

Yutito eyed it as she walked past, knowing that as newly promoted Genin her young team wouldn't have noticed it, nor did the half intoxicated bridge builder they were currently escorting. Tazuna was busy arguing with Kiba over something childish and trivial, Sakura was groaning at the two and Sasuke was simply walking along, looking uninterested by everything.

She made it three additional steps before their ambushers burst into action, a spiked chain looping around the form of the elite Jōnin, and Yugito made it look like they had her. If these attackers were worth their salt then they would notice the shattered pieces of wood instead of body parts. The blonde reappeared in the forest, immediately jumping up to a sturdy tree branch to survey the action.

Immediately she recognised the two attackers as the infamous Demon Brothers, Nukenin from Kiri who had been involved in her sons kidnap attempt four years ago. Yugito grinned slightly despite the situation. She had been looking forward to getting back at them. Her team appeared to get over their shock quickly and efficiently, though they seemed horrified by her apparent demise.

Kiba stood petrified in place as one of the brothers came right at him, kunai imbedded chains flailing. Luckily Sasuke's response was the opposite, jumping high with a chakra propelled leap and delivering a perfect kick straight to the side of the assailants face. The Uchiha landed lightly, looked at his teammate and murmured something.

The Inuzuka growled angrily, before spinning around, throwing three kunai at the rising Nukenin. All three were deflected, but they did their purpose of forcing him back. They were so focused on the one that they didn't notice the other pass by them, aiming straight for the bridge builder. Sakura rushed over to a suddenly very rigid, very shocked Tazuna, kunai in hand as she stood between him and one of the brothers.

It was then that Yugito struck, moving with blurring speed to intercept the advancing former Kirinin, ducking a subconscious swipe before delivering an uppercut to his chin, so strong it sent him flying through the air and landing hard on the ground. She was on him before he knew it, straddling him with her knees, hand coated with lightning already slamming into his chest.

"_Raiton: Muhi."_

The electrical strike did its job, coursing through his veins and shorting out nerve endings. He was barely able to utter a strained cry before he went limp from both the sudden shock and paralysis of the Jutsu. She jumped to her feet, spun around and blurred across the distance between herself and the last brother, ducking under a swipe of his claws dancing around him and delivering a powerful uppercut to his chin when he spun around to meet her, sending him into the air and hitting the ground hard.

The moment she entered the fray the fight had lasted five seconds, and her swiftness was not lost on her surrogate Genin team, who all looked either slightly impressed or awe inspired. In the case of the bridge builder his awed expression became nervous very quickly. Yugito made swift work of binding the two brothers and calling Konoha for a Shinobi team to bring them in. Once that was done she spun on the senior bridge builder, eyeing him accusingly.

"Now then Tazuna-san, it appears you've been hiding something from us." She began coolly. "You see these two are known to us as the Demon Brothers, former Ninja of Kiri who went AWOL four years ago. At first I would have considered they would be after me, considering we have a bit of a history, but when I saw them target you specifically I had to change my mind."

The old man was really bad at schooling his expressions, even a baby could make out how guilty he looked, like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "The mission you asked for was a C-class, simple escort and protection from thieves or bandits. If you are being targeted by Ninja that brings the threat level up to B, meaning that a team of more experienced Shinobi would be required. I'm guessing you knew they were targeting you, yet you refused to warn us."

"I-"

"I'm not finished," she retorted angrily. "I don't like being lied too, but this is worse than that. You put not just me in danger but my students as well. Do you realise what such misinformation could lead to? One of them could have been seriously hurt, or even killed because you were too cheap to pay-"

"It's not like that!" Tazuna cut in at last, flinching slightly at the blonde's glare but not backing down. Yugito eyed him coldly for a moment. "The land I come from is in the grips of poverty, we could not afford more than a C-rank mission."

"I'm aware of what's going on in the Land of Waves, and I sympathise." Yugito countered. "However that does not change the fact that you lied to us, and in our business an untrustworthy client can lead to death. It is fortunate that we saw this coming."

"Just hold on a-" Tazuna began before his brain caught up to her flow of information. "What?"

"Hokage-sama foresaw that this might happen, which is why he has seen fit to add on an additional Shinobi to the group." Yugito replied, folding her arms and sighing before raising her voice. "And she should have helped us!"

"Oh come on." There was a small explosion of white smoke which made both the bridge builder and the three Genin jump, though Yugito just sighed and massaged her temple. "You wanted me to help you against that circus act?"

"It would have been nice, instead of scaring the hell out of my students." Yugito countered.

"You did that, not me."

The smoke finally cleared to show their backup, one of only a handful of people within her new home which Yugito would trust with her life. Anko Mitarashi stood in her usual attire, long tan trenchcoat, short skirt showing fishnet stockings and an armoured mesh shirt which seemed a little too form fitting for the blondes liking. In her mouth was a half finished dango stick, which she was chewing away. The expressions of her team were comical, Sakura looked a little affronted, especially by the newcomers choice of dress, Kiba was drooling and nearly comatose, Sasuke was stealing a peek though he still looked non-interested. She was starting to worry a little about that kid. If the bridge builders mouth could elasticise Yugito would think it would have hit the dusty ground by now.

"The mission has been upgraded to B-rank, just so you know." Anko stated sweetly as she walked by him, giving him a pat on the back as she went. "But don't worry too much. We won't be asking for all the money at once."

Yugito smirked before turning to her awestruck team, "Right you three, basic formation and keep your eyes peeled for anymore trouble."

"Yes sensei."

The small convoy began its trek once again, except this time everyone was on high alert for any additional ambush. The Genin and the Bridge Builder were all jumpy, eyes darting left and right, ready to jump at their own shadows if need be. They continued on in silence before Anko leaned in and spoke, voice serious.

"I'm guessing you knew those two?"

"Yeah, and I've got a hunch I know who their leader is."

"You seem happy." Anko smirked.

"I've been waiting to kick that bastard's ass for a long time." Yugito replied with a grin which would rival a Cheshire cat.

Anko grinned savagely, "You sound like a certain little brat I know."

"Shut up."

* * *

_**Of Parents and Teachers**_

_**Part II**_

Mizuka could only stare at the single sheet of paper which presented him with his new orders before slowly raising his head to look upon the grim features of the Hokage with a mixture of fear and trepidation. He knew he was in trouble the moment an ANBU had come to his door in the middle of the night and almost dragged him to the tower.

The paper was a simple form of transfer, signed by the head of the academy as well as the Hokage himself. It designated that his status as a teacher was to be dissolved pending investigations into certain allegations made against him, first on the list being the falsification of documents and the tampering of student exam papers.

"I take it you understand the gravity of your situation, Mizuki?" the Hokage said between puffs of smoke as he lit his signature smoking pipe. "Our Shinobi Academy is considered one of the best in the Elemental nations, and any allegations made against its teaching staff are taken very, very seriously."

The Hokage and he were not alone in the room, the head master of the Academy had been awakened and was standing fully clothed, the now retired Jōnin standing tall and proud with his arms folded across his chest and his face set in a frown of disapproval. Then there were the ANBU sitting in the rafters above, their presence was invisible but they were there.

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Mizuki was immensely pleased that his voice remained calm, the complete opposite of what he was feeling at the moment. "But may I ask who has made these allegations against me, and is there any evidence?"

"You may ask, but the identities of the accusers will remain anonymous due to standard protocols, know however that the parent of the child is of Jōnin rank and has taken offence to what he, or she has referred to as a blatant tampering of the child in questions examination paper." The old man put out the flame in his pipe, set it to the side, opened the top drawer of his desk and fished out a few examination papers. "As to evidence the Jōnin in question infiltrated the academy and presented me with these files from your desk. If they are genuine then the evidence against you will be absolute."

The old man masked his words well, but Mizuki knew exactly who he was talking about. That Kumo bitch and the demon brat, why else would the Hokage himself get directly involved with such a trivial matter. It was no secret that he cared for the spawn, almost like a grandparent.

But that was mute now. The soon to be former lecturer knew that he had dispatched a small unit of ANBU to comb through his office and classroom. All of the evidence they would need to incriminate him would be right there, not just what concerned the demon brat, but information on other activities as well.

In layman terms Mizuki was screwed.

"You will lose your place as an Academy instructor Mizuki," Sarutobi said gravely. "And if you are very unlucky you will lose your life. We have already searched through your office and have found some very worrying information. Even now a unit of investigation ANBU are searching through your apartment for further information."

Yes, Mizuki was completely and totally screwed.

* * *

"You were correct, it seems." The Hokage stated. "So we will allow Naruto to retake the examination in a week's time, and if he passes then he will continue on with the rest of his year. Is that acceptable?"

Yugito beamed happily, "Very acceptable, thank you Hokage-sama."

"Just leave it to the investigators next time, Yugito-san." The old man warned. "If you had simply come to me with this worry then I would have sent the ANBU to his office regardless."

"It was a spur of the moment decision, Hokage-sama." She bowed her head in respect. "But I see where you are coming from. I will be more retraining in the future."

"Excellent, and while you are here I would also like to say thank you."

She looked at him quizzically, "For what, if I may ask?"

"It appears that Mizuki was a double agent working for a foreign power, though we do not know which village he was spying for yet." The old man fished into his drawer for his pipe and matches. "He was in the process of attempting to ascertain several sensitive materials on the village, including secret Jutsu and tactical information. It was good that you brought this to me."

"Oh," she replied. "Well your welcome."

* * *

_**Author's Note 1: **__Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, sadly lol, I make no profit from publishing this story._

_**Author's Note 2: **__Well my final year of university is officially... well almost over. I got a 2:2 overall in all of my modules, if you are unfamiliar with that score then that would be the equivalent of a C in GCSE or an average. I just need to do one little resit of an exam and the diploma will be mine, and I get an excuse to wear that weird hat and robes even if it will be in December._

_**Author's Note 3: **__Hope you guys like how I'm revamping the Land of Waves arc for my own ends, and if you don't well... tough ;) Oh yeah, and the whole Naruto-Ino moment is a salute of respect to a certain fanfic writer which I hold in high esteem, Geor-sama. I just took his idea and made it my own. If he is reading then I will take this chance to ask; WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO UPDATE ELEVEN!_


	17. Chapter 16: Land of Waves

_**Chapter 16**_

_**Land of Waves**_

"You're men failed."

"Hmm, so it would seem."

Gatou was a small man with an appearance both gruff and slightly overweight, signs of a man who lived the good life, who probably never had to work a day in his life. His attire seemed more likely to be worn to conduct a business meeting rather than conversing with the hired help, a smart business suit, shining leather shoes, white buttoned shirt and tie.

Zabuza watched him carefully, seasoned eyes checking every twitch of a muscle on not just him but his two Samurai guards as well. The two men flanking him seemed more like common thugs with second hand katana. They didn't hold themselves like Samurai. In fact if a proper Samurai even saw them he would probably kill them for their insolence. He considered they would last no longer than three seconds the moment he raised his Kubikiribōchō, five if they were lucky. That is if he even needed to raise his sword, Haku could probably kill them with their own weapons.

"Listen to me Zabuza," the little mouse snarled angrily. "I paid you to kill the bridge builder. If you're not up to the job then perhaps I should find someone more capable."

A flash of motion and the businessman was starring at the tip of his Kubikiribōchō. All meter and a half of the carver's knife was held almost idly in his right hand as if it were no heavier than a paperweight. "Don't push your luck Gatou."

"I'm just worried is all," the businessman kept himself calm, which was quite a feat. "I expected a former Swordsman of the Mist to be more competent than this."

Zabuza chuckled before leaning forward, bringing the sword within a millimetre of Gatou's nose. "This is only the first move of a long game. The foe is not some simpleton you can simply assassinate or buy off."

Gatou backed off a few steps. His men's hands were on the hilts of their katana, ready to draw at a moment's notice. When the business man replied it was with a decent attempt at remaining calm. "Then what are you going to do about him?"

"I will deal with it personally," Zabuza said with a trace of mirth as he rose to his feet, his carvers knife returned to the leather straps on his back as he began to walk right past Gatou and his associates. He made it to the door before stopping in his tracks and turning around. "Haku, we're leaving."

The masked Ninja's words permeated the air from right behind Gatou and his enforcers, making them jump back in surprise, "Yes, Zabuza-sama."

The two of them left the room with silent, unheard steps, which was impressive considering how heavy the Kubikiribōchō sheathed to the swordsman's back was. Gatou waited until the door closed with a click before rounding on his subordinates, face a mask of irritation and borderline rage.

"Idiots, morons, what am I paying you for!"

"I apologise sir," the man on the left stated, Gatou realised that he didn't know the man's name, and he also realised that he didn't really care. "He came out of nowhere."

The businessman ground his teeth till it almost became an audible scraping sound. "I don't give a damn. The two of you are supposed to be former gods damned Samurai, aren't you supposed to be trained to be able to sense a Shinobi or something!"

Haku and Zabuza continued down the corridor, but they heard the outburst loud and clear. It appeared the businessman forgot that timber walls were pretty thin. "If those two are really Samurai then the standards in the Land of Iron have really dropped."

"Mm," Haku responded with a nod.

"So the Demon Brothers were defeated huh?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Haku replied. "And if the information is to be trusted they were defeated quickly."

"Is there anything on who they sent to protect the old geezer?"

"According to description she is described as a tall female, uniform of an elite Jonin, blonde hair tied in a braid, pale skin, was able to defeat the brothers in almost five seconds, proof that she knows at least basic Raiton Jutsu."

"Blonde hair, braid, pale..." Zabuza tapped his chin with his index finger for a moment before a smug look just barely creased the bandages covering the lower half of his face. "Ah, so they sent her did they?"

"Zabuza-sama?"

"Think back Haku, four years ago, kidnapping mission which went south."

Haku thought for a moment, before recognition slowly showed. "Oh."

"Yes, so it seemed she is now an elite Jonin." He threw his head back and chuckled. "This might be fun. I finally get my chance for a rematch against the Azure Cat."

"She appears to be travelling with another woman, at least Chūnin level, and three Genin." Haku added, now suddenly looking even more serious than before.

"So she is either a sensei now or the woman with her is." Zabuza muttered. "Green Genin on the field may give us an advantage. Did our spy say how well they performed?"

"He did," Haku replied. "Very well for Genin was his summary."

"I will take care of the adults," Zabuza stated, looking over at Haku with a calculating eye. "We cannot afford to be fancy when the numbers are stacked. I will take the adults on, and you will deal with the Genin."

Haku nodded in agreement.

The two of them were already outside the compound, and almost as if reading each other's mind took off into the forest undergrowth at the same time with almost blurring speed. No more words were spoken. There was no need for words at this point. The mission was stated clear as day. Kill the Shinobi, dispose of the bridge builder, get their money and keep moving.

They were too close to Kiri for Zabuza's liking.

* * *

The kids were restless and she didn't blame them. Yugito sighed as she walked a little ahead of the group, eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. They had arrived to the land of waves via a small boat, and the entire journey had been undertaken in complete silence so as not to draw any attention. The boat driver had been jittery and nervous the entire way and his state of mind didn't help her three students at all.

The thick mist, coupled with the darkness of the landmass which was the small island nation gave the small country as a whole a very unwelcome feeling, like an unknown ominous presence had descended on her shoulders. They had made it through the early morning mist and got off at the river mouth though, which was good, and the mist cleared as they began their walk down a rarely used side path that the bridge builder pointed out.

The enemy would make their move, and they would make it soon. When exactly she wasn't sure, but she guessed it would be some point on this path. It was a wide dirt track, with thick underbrush and trees on either side. Ambushers could hide themselves in the brush very effectively and wait for the moment to strike, and besides that brief encounter some years ago she knew what the Demon of the Mist was capable of, a master assassin. The silent kill was his specialty.

She took a glance back at her Genin team. Sasuke tried to look aloof and uncaring, but his dark eyes darted right and left, searching the forest on either side for the slightest hint of a threat. Kiba was the complete opposite, completely alert, his head craning from side to side and his hand close by his kunai pouch, where he looked his pet puppy covered his blind spot. Sakura looked nervous, sensing the tense situation and remaining quiet.

Anko was bored.

She looked impatient as she walked at the back of the formation, absently twirling a kunai idly in her left hand as she walked. Her friend looked left and right, back and front, and every so often she would release a grunt or a grown to show just how frustrated she was. The snake mistress wanted to fight someone, and her patience was running a little low.

It was barely a few days travel to the Land of Waves, considering it was just off the coast of the Land of Fire, and in that time Anko had achieved her goal of making the Genin as scared shitless of her as humanly possible. Her friend was sadistic that way, probably why Ibika-san was considering making her the instructor for the next Chūnin exams. She had Kiba and Sakura scared shitless by putting snakes in their sleeping bags, harmless garter snakes mind, but snakes none the less. Even Sasuke was a little fearful of the snake mistress, considering he checked his own bed roll before he went to bed every night.

Yugito even summoned Kuro to guard her sleeping roll every time they laid camp. The first night he had caught three garter snakes attempting to slither into her backpack and had eaten all three, Anko stopped after that, but she still summoned him the second night just in case.

He made the perfect bed warmer.

Tazuna had explained the whole situation to them on the rest of the journey, and it was information that Yugito and Anko had been given beforehand so they pretty much tuned him out. Her students listened though and Tazuna's own account pretty much coincided with the information their spies had gathered. Their mission remained unchanged. Protect the bridge builder and his work crews until they completed the bridge.

Suddenly Kiba acted, drawing a kunai and throwing it into the brush to his left. There was a thwack as it imbedded itself into a tree and a squeak of panic. Kiba was already moving though, another kunai drawn as he rushed into the undergrowth. Yugito remained where she was, tense and frowning.

It was a moment later that the Inuzuka came out of the forest, holding a dead rabbit by its hind legs. "Sorry guys, false alarm."

There was a collective sigh of relief from the Genin and Builder, and then the shouting began. Sakura rushed right up to him and bonked him on the head. "You idiot, don't scare me like that!"

"Ouch, what the hell!"

"You nearly gave me a heart attack you little shit!" Tazuna shouted angrily.

"Well at least he got a head start on dinner." Anko said ruefully as she stood beside Yugito. The two of them watched the heated argument between Sakura and Kiba for a moment before the snake mistress leaned in. "See a problem with that rabbit?"

"Mm," Yugito replied, narrowing her eyes. "Wrong species for this climate, rabbits this far south have brown fur not white."

"An escaped pet you think?"

"No," Yugito replied, already moving towards the bridge builder at a run. She could already hear it, the sounds of a swishing blade. The bridge builder gave a surprised yelp as she tackled him to the ground, "Everybody down!"

They complied before she finished and Yugito felt something cut through a few strands of her hair as the huge carver's knife spun overhead, flying across the clearing and imbedding itself well within the trunk of a tree at the other side. Yugito and Anko were up in a flash, kunai in hand from their wrist holsters. Sasuke, Kiba and Sakura were slightly slower, but they moved as they were told, surrounding the dazed bridge builder and producing their own knives.

Yugito took one look at the huge sword. "I knew it."

A blurring figure landed on the blade, his weight not even causing the weapon to bend, and looked down at the small group. He looked exactly the same as Yugito remembered, same uniform, same bandages covering the lower half his face, same tanned skin and same hatai-ite. Zabuza Momoichi looked down at her and she could swear that he grinned the moment their eyes met.

"Well, it's been a long time." He said, and she knew that was as close to a greeting as she was going to get from him. "How are you Azure Cat?"

"Just fine Demon of the Mist," she replied, ignoring the surprised looks from her Genin.

"And how's the brat?"

"Don't call him a brat." She said tersely. "And he's doing fine. How's that little ice user of yours, gotten tired of you yet?"

Zabuza chuckled before setting her with an unmoving gaze. "So you did join Konoha after all."

"Did the headband give me away?" Yugito asked with a slight tinge of mocking in her voice. "I've been looking forward to the day where we'd meet again."

"Really now," Zabuza looked amused.

"I have been waiting for the day when I'd be able to beat you to a bloody pulp."

"Sounds tempting, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I'm here on business, and the bridge builder has to die. Hand him over."

"Not going to happen." Yugito growled as she in turn fell into a combat stance, Anko copying her a scant millisecond later.

"What a shame." Zabuza replied before placing his hands together in a seal, "_Kirigakure no Jutsu._"

Yugito spun to her Genin even as Anko released a kunai at him, but the mist had formed before her thrown projectile could even make it halfway to the target. The mist he created from the technique was a thick one as well, so thick that Yugito could barely see Anko five meters away.

"Manji formation, now," she had schooled them well enough to know her commands and she had faith that they would perform the order without question, "Anko, back to back!"

She felt Anko press her back to hers, and for a moment the two of them stood like that in silence, eyes and ears alert. Yugito took it further, delving into the Nibi's reserves and using them to augment her senses, namely her sense of hearing and smell to almost five times that of normal humans, at this height she could hear a pin drop from a hundred yards and she would be able to smell her opponent from almost a kilometre away.

She caught his scent straight away, musty and salty. Her eyes widened when she pinpointed the direction, right where her team was. Yugito moved with blurring speed, ignoring Anko's surprised squawk as she flew through the air, landed in front of Kiba and was just able to block the huge blade of his Kubikiribōchō before it tore the Inuzuka in half.

Steel scrapped against steel as the two Shinobi held their ground, and then Zabuza peered forward. "What lovely eyes you have."

He was probably referring to the glowing cat eyes which morphed from her usual brown. The eyes of the Nibi were so strong that the light they emitted could pierce through almost any mist, making her a target, but she had no choice. Strengthening her senses of smell and hearing meant she was also strengthening her other three by default. She could only do this for so long though, the human senses weren't meant to be this sharp and burning them out was a danger.

Yugito smirked. "Good enough to find you."

Two kunai exploded from the mist, stabbing into Zabuza's side and shoulder. Her grunted, flinched and then imploded in a mass of water. Yugito cursed under her breath, a _Mizu Bunshin_, a water clone. The mist cleared slowly as Yugito spun around, another kunai joining the one in her right hand.

"Anko, duck!" she yelled as she threw the projectiles, trusting in her sense of hearing and smell to pinpoint where he was going to strike next, and he was going to hit Anko. She knew that smell, the mixture of alcohol and blueberries was rife in the air. There was a pop and a splash, followed by a curse from her friend.

"Thanks cat, but this one was a clone too!"

Yugito was about to answer, but a sense of danger clouded her senses and with lightning quickness her right hand flashed, catching a projectile in midair. It was a senbon, pointed at a twenty degree angle. Her ears caught the sound mere seconds before they fell and turning around she shouted at her Genin team.

"Scatter!"

They did, just as a rain of senbon needles fell upon them, dozens of them. Sasuke moved with expert grace, darting back and forth, blocking one or two with his kunai. Kiba was nowhere near as graceful, cursing as he and Akamaru split up, rolling and jumping out of the path of the falling weapons. Tazuna wasn't nearly as fast, and she rushed over to the fifty something year old, just making it to him before the needles stopped. He was lucky. His backpack had taken the hits for him.

A scream made her blood run cold and she turned to see Sakura on her hands and knees. Three senbon had hit her, two on the calf muscles of her left leg, and another just above her Achilles heel.

"Protect Tazuna!" she yelled to Sasuke and Kiba, who nodded.

Yugito rushed to her side, noticing an umbrella softly hit the ground. She ignored it and was by the terrified girl's side in an instant. The Jōnin didn't stop, grabbing Sakura as she rushed by and diving into the forest. She set the pink haired teen against a tree trunk, immediately pulling out the needles and sniffed them for poison. No poison, but there was a common paralysis coating the tips.

"Sensei," she looked the girl in her emerald eyes. She was terrified and she was looking straight at her. "Your eyes, what's wrong with them?"

Yugito crushed her worry and managed a rueful smile. "Just a little Jutsu I picked up."

She seemed to accept it quite easily, probably because Sakura had other worries. "I can't feel my leg. Am I going to die?"

"No, it's okay. Just stay here and wait for me." She was about to rush back out, but a pale hand grabbed hers just as she was about to turn. Sakura looked shaken and scared out of her mind. Yugito knew why. She was scared that they were going to leave her behind.

"Please don't leave me here." She pleaded.

Yugito took her hand and set it on the girls lap. "I'm not going to leave you here, Sakura. Just stay here and stay quiet and we'll come get you when the battle is over."

She hesitantly nodded. "Okay."

Yugito gave her a smile. "What, do you think I'd leave one of my precious students behind?"

She was away before Sakura could answer, bursting from the brush back onto the battlefield. Anko was fighting Zabuza close up, and looked like she needed help. Kiba and Sasuke were also in the middle of a fight against a feminine looking opponent wearing a dull grey and white short kimono over a sweater and split armoured skirt, long hair tied in a white bun. It could be his younger accomplice, just about the right body shape if one took into account four years of growth.

Then Kiba and Akamaru rushed in, obviously using their mimicry technique and the three went down in a mass of flailing limbs.

* * *

Sasuke growled as he threw a kunai at the masked Shinobi, only to see him perform a twirl in midair, missing the blade by millimetres before retaliating with a trio of senbon. He jumped away, watching as they imbedded themselves into the ground where he once stood.

The senbon user was fast, agile and capable of performing moves which seemed to limber and flexible for any man he had ever seen. But he was definitely not a close combat fighter. Rather the new Shinobi was keeping a distance between him and Kiba, out of reach and firing projectiles at them constantly. Either he or Kiba got tired and one of them, namely the loser, slipped up, or their opponent ran out of weapons.

His mind returned to Sakura for a brief moment, but he immediately crushed it down to a small corner of his mind and viciously locked it away. Yugito-sensei had gotten to her. She would be fine, and she was better off out of the way anyway. He didn't need an annoying, useless fan-girl getting hurt and becoming a liability.

He put it aside and grabbing a few more shuriken threw them at the masked Ninja, watching in annoyance as he effortlessly dodged every one of them. Then he saw it, and his eyes widened. He recognised a hand seal when he saw one, kept close to their assailant's chest as he spun in midair, back several feet from the soil.

"_Sensatsu Suishō!_"

Needles appeared in the very air, using the mist to gather water and solidify it into a deadly weapon as sharp as a well kept senbon needle. Sasuke just barely saw it, and only because of the glint they made when what little rays of sunshine caught them.

They were everywhere.

"Kiba," he called, gaining the Inuzuka's attention. No time for any petty insults now, they're lives were at stake. "Run!"

A single motion of his enemy's right middle finger sent the water needles rushing into action. Sasuke saw Kiba hit several times, crying out in pain before he attempted to dodge. Sasuke managed for a handful of seconds before one hit him just under his left shoulder blade. He gritted his teeth against a surge of hot pain and kept moving, weaving back and forth. By the time the barrage had ended he and Kiba were doubled over, gritting their teeth against the pain and taking in huge gulps of air at the same time.

"This really sucks," Kiba grunted before groaning in pain.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied, mind working overtime to try and come up with something, anything that would help. Where was Sakura when you needed her? The Shinobi was bent into some kind of stance, at least three senbon protruding from his knuckles as his arm leaned back. He wasn't firing though.

He was waiting for them to make the first move.

"How long can it take you to do that beast mimicry?" Sasuke asked. They needed to get in close and engage him in a fistfight. He doubted this masked Shinobi was much of a close range fighter with the way he'd been dancing around and out of their reach.

"A couple of seconds," Kiba replied, giving Sasuke a funny look.

"I'll give you those few seconds," the Uchiha replied, ignoring his quizzical stare. "Then you and the mutt give me some time to toast this asshole."

Kiba looked mildly affronted that he would call Akamaru a mutt, but clicked his mouth shut and nodded his head. "Alright I'm in."

Sasuke nodded in return, "On three."

There was a moment of silence, no count.

"Three!"

Sasuke took off, charging their opponent with one of his last kunai drawn as Kiba jumped back and whistled for Akamaru. The little white puppy was by his side in an instant, and immediately knew what his owner was going to do. They had practised at home for months. Kiba made a simple concentration seal, flaring his chakra before activating his _Shikyaku no Jutsu_. He fell on all fours, features becoming feral, nails morphing into claws, canines in his jaw enlarging. Akamaru moved precisely, performing a _Jūjin Bunshin_ to turn himself into an exact clone of Kiba. The two were now entirely identical.

They finished their move without a moment to spare, Sasuke had seen them and jumped back, entrusting them to take over. Kiba and Akamaru moved with precision born from months and months of training, rushing forward on all-fours, completely identical to each other in movements. The combination of Jutsu drastically increased Kiba's speed and fighting ability, making him almost as fast as Akamaru.

They were on the masked Shinobi before he knew what hit him, clawing and biting. The three fell over in a heap of flailing limbs and flickering fangs. Then the enemy just fell away, becoming nothing more than a pool of water, a water clone. Sasuke cursed under his breath, getting back to his feet and looking around in high alert.

"Damn it where did he go."

They didn't notice until it was too late. The receding mist helped, keeping their vision obscured until their opponent completed his trap. Mirrors appeared all around them, showing the three of them their reflections. Sasuke looked around, confused. There were a total of twenty one mirrors, forming together into what looked like a dome all around them. It took him barely a moment to realise that they were trapped.

The enemy had them.

"_Makyō Hyōshō_!"

They were trapped, Sasuke realised. They had thought that they had him snared, only to find that he had been planning the perfect counter to their little attempt, and now he had them right where he wanted them. His image appeared on the mirror right before the three of them. It was difficult to tell with the mask but Sasuke knew he must have been smug.

"I'm sorry," the Shinobi stated, and the voice made the Uchiha pause. There was compassion in the voice, sympathy. It made him growl. He did not need nor did he want his enemy's sympathy. "But I can't play around with you anymore."

More images appeared; perfect carbon copies on every mirror which made up the dome, each one holding a handful of senbon in its hand. They threw them in unison, and a rain of needles fell upon them. Sasuke tried to dodge, seeing Kiba and Akamaru attempt to do the same. The puppy was hit first, yelping in pain as his transformation came undone. Kiba was next, crying out for his pup before he was assailed by dozens of needles. He coughed, choked and fell to the ground, unmoving. Sasuke made it an additional few moments after Kiba went lifeless before several needles pierced him. He ground his teeth against the dozens of pinpricks and the numbness that followed but he refused to fall. He remained on his feet, blood trickling from dozens of wounds, limbs losing all feeling, but he remained upright. He will meet his death with his head held high.

The senbon stopped and the copies vanished from the mirrors, only one retained its image of the masked Shinobi. He looked at him for a moment. "You're still up, I applaud you're stubbornness."

Sasuke spat out a small gob of blood, "You bastard."

"I am sorry." The Shinobi responded, almost as if he didn't hear him. Then he raised his right hand, another three senbon needles protruding from the knuckles.

There was an explosion, and the upper right group of mirrors shattered like glass. Sasuke looked up in time to see something he would never forget. A phoenix was his first thought, but the shape was all wrong. It didn't look like a bird, but a cat. The animal dived down, its form seemingly entirely compassed by deep, dark blue flames, flickering with an unnatural tenacity. The Uchiha could feel the heat, so hot that the ice of the mirrors began to melt.

The masked Shinobi was forced to jump out from his mirror, looking up in awe and horror as the two tailed creature, about the size of an adult fell towards them. Then the flames fell away, extinguishing themselves on their own accord to reveal his sensei. Yugito-sensei uncurled herself, arms up to shield her face and upper body.

He threw his senbon, stabbing into her arms, but it didn't stop her descent nor halt her plan of attack. Sasuke saw a glint of ebony claws on her fingers, lengthened canines and feral eyes before she drew back her fist. To his knowledge only the Inuzuka could perform such beast mimicry transformations. Was she a distant relative? She didn't look like your common place Inuzuka. Her bestial features didn't even look canine, if he would guess he'd say they were more feline.

The punch hit the masked Shinobi square in the face. The mask shattered under the impact. It didn't crack. It shattered. The force sent their enemy flying, slamming into one of the last ice mirrors which shattered on impact. He flew another few feet before hitting the ground hard and rolling to an awkward stop.

He didn't get up again.

Darkness was on the edges of Sasuke's vision, but he remained awake through pure stubborn will. She turned to him, eyes back to normal, canines retracting and claws vanishing. She was breathing heavily. He could make out sweat on her brow. Whatever she had used had taxed her a great deal. Yugito-sensei looked over at him and began to run to him, but he had reached the end of his willpower. He saw her outstretched hand and worried face before falling to unconsciousness, hearing her voice before all went silent.

"Sasuke!"

* * *

Anko threw another kunai knife, watching as it struck off the carving knife and spun away. Zabuza came at her in a heartbeat, swinging his sword in a sweeping horizontal arc meant to slice her in two at the waist. The snake mistress was just able to jump over it and onto the flat side of the huge blade. Her added weight didn't even phase his hold on the carver's sword.

She traversed across its length and aimed a kick for his head, only it went wide. He moved his head to the side at the last second, and with a flick of his wrist rotated the Kubikiribōchō by ninety degrees, forcing her to jump off. Anko backpedalled a few steps, ducked another swing and using her wrist launcher to give her a final kunai she stabbed out, aiming for his abdomen.

The attack only grazed him, and once again she was forced to jump back, watching the tip of the blade nick her nose before it crashed into the ground in an explosion of dirt. It left an impressive groove. She ran up a small crop of rocks, tossed her kunai at him and jumped just high enough to dodge his next horizontal thrust.

Anko drew her hand back, shaping it into a claw and brought it down on his head. The infamous kill-shot of her Hebi fighting style, the so called snake bite, would end this fight. He was too fast though and dropping his blade to give himself extra ability sidestepped her attack. Anko landed on her feet, a missed opportunity, but a smirk curved her lips when she saw him drop his sword.

"Lost your sword." She cooed.

"Who needs it," he replied and it was only then that she noticed his hands placed together in a hand seal. It was only then that Anko realised how close to the lake they were. "_Suiton: Suigadan_!"

Spikes of water exploded from the once pristine surface of the lake, swirling like miniature whirlpools in reverse as they attempted to skewer her, and Anko knew that these spikes could kill her as thoroughly as their earth based cousin technique. She had no choice. She jumped away with a chakra propelled leap, getting away from the water attack but allowing him enough time to retrieve his sword.

He picked it up and pointed the tip right at her. She couldn't continue like this, a few more Jutsu was all she could perform before her chakra reserves dropped to the dangerous level. He was a level or two above her in the league. He was about to go onto the offensive once again, but then something happened.

An explosion;

It made him pause.

"What the hell was that!"

Anko took the Demon of the Mists hesitation to her advantage and jumped back, using the moment to get her bearings and catch her breath. She had heard the explosion several meters away from them, the exact area where the Genin and Tazuna were. No, she couldn't worry about them now. Yugito was there, she would protect them.

With a shake of her head she brought her attention back to the Demon. He was strong, strong enough that he had definitely earned the title of one of the almost mythical Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. His Kenjutsu was superb and beyond the bar of a mere professional. The reach of that monster sword stopped her from attempting to get close enough to attack him.

She couldn't attack. She could only dodge. That was what she had been doing this entire time, and she getting tired. He was fast, accurate, his water clones kept her guessing and the amount of moisture in the air gave him a huge advantage in water Jutsu, his specialty.

But she had a trick or two left in her bag.

She bit her finger hard enough to draw blood, coating her other digits in it before bringing them together in a quiet clap. She had retreated a few more steps while he was distracted, just a second or two, but it was enough. By the time he noticed she had already made it to the fifth hand seal of the ram and slammed her hand onto the dirt.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_!"

The explosion of smoke made the Demon of the Mist hesitate and jump back, and she was grateful for it. The sudden hiss and the sound of something crawling along the ground, something big, brought more gratitude. When the smoke cleared she saw the snake she had summoned, a large boa constrictor, forest green skin with yellow stripes, one of Manda's fourth brood if she remembered. It raised its neck and head, easily twice as tall as she was once fully erect. It looked at her for a moment, then at Zabuza, and hissed angrily.

There was a moment of silence as the boa leaned back and then struck with blinding speed, but not fast enough. Zabuza jumped high with a chakra propelled leap just as it launched its attack and raising his infamous Kubikiribōchō over his head brought it down upon the poor serpent's neck. Anko watched in horror as it cut right through like a knife through warm butter, severing the head from the boa constrictor in one cut.

The head hit the ground and rolled into the mist. The body hit the ground, a geyser of blood exploding from the wound as it flailed, which turned to spasms before going still. Zabuza walked past the headless body as it was in its final death throes, uncaring with his sword leaning against his shoulders.

"I suppose I'll find out for myself then," Zabuza asked before raising his sword over his head for a final cut.

Anko attempted to fight back, throwing a kunai and gaining a grim satisfaction in knowing that she at least cut him before he killed her. Zabuza noticed the deep cut on his left cheek, but ignored it and brought the blade down. Anko closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable.

There was a clang of steel against steel.

Anko opened her eyes in time to see Yugito standing between her and Zabuza, putting everything she had into the kunai as she kept his blade from going down any further. Anko grinned and was about to thank her, but something was off. Her body was shaking, she could hear the blonde's breaths, gasping and constant and she even saw the swordsman's Kubikiribōchō descend another inch as Yugito's strength seemed to momentarily fail her.

Anko's eyes widened when she saw the needles still imbedded in Yugito's arms, the torn and partially burned state of her clothes and the obvious after effects of a Jinchūriki transformation. She was tired, and the needles obviously had something in them, whether it be poison or whatever it was definitely affecting her system.

"Anko," her voice brought her back. "My Genin need help, go to them. I'll take care of this guy."

"Are you sure?" she asked."

"Yes," she replied with nothing but steel in her voice. "I got this."

Anko hesitated for a moment longer before taking off further inland, heading towards the area where she last remembered they were. Yugito waited until she was out of sight in the receding mist before turning her full attention to her opponent.

"You look a little tired, Yugito-san." He said simply.

"So do you." Yugito bit back. It was a bluff. He looked to be in better condition than she was.

He said nothing, just forced her back with his strength and swung his sword in a horizontal arc with impressive speed. She was just able to duck, then with a kunai in hand she pounced forward with enhanced speed, digging it into his abdomen which bled.

It bled water.

He fell away, form imploding into yet another water clone. Yugito tiredly wondered when he was able to caste one when fighting Anko before she looked out to the lake and saw him, standing in the middle, hands placed in the seal for the bird. The entire lake seemed to convulse and heave and at that moment Yugito knew what was coming.

The water dragon was large, its head dipping through the choppy water, followed by a long neck which raised it high above her. This must have used up a lot of his chakra, meaning that he was desperate to end this fight against her quickly. The water dragon looked down at her, and Yugito could swear that it was a sentient entity.

"_Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu_!"

Yugito was already moving, hands unconsciously going over the seals for the tiger, hare, boar and dog before she slammed them to the ground and cried out the incantation. "_Doton: Doryūheki_!"

A wall of solid earth rose up between her and the dragon mere moments before it struck, but it didn't hold for more than a handful of seconds. It was more powerful than the one Kakashi used against her while training. It barely registered to her mind that he had been going easy on her all along from that first test spar four years ago until recently. This was the true power of a _Suiryūdan no Jutsu_.

She channelled the chakra into her legs and jumped high just as the wall crumbled, she missed all of the debris but hit the surf at the top of the wave. It threw her through the air; landing on a tree top hard enough for her ribs to crack. Yugito coughed up blood before spitting it out and slowly rising to her feet, barely able to keep her footing.

She had one last chance to finish him. The dragon bullet had thrown water everywhere, including all over him and her. This was going to hurt a great deal. She took a breath, gathered the last of her natural chakra reserve and began going through a trio of hand seals. This was her strongest lightning based technique.

"Hey Zabuza," She got his attention. "I have a question for you. What happens when lightning meets water."

"It conducts!"

She grinned, lightning permeating the air around her. "Bingo!"

She jumped, and Zabuza didn't realise what she was going to do until it was too late. How could he. She was a lightning user true and he was soaking wet from his water dragon bullet technique, but she was also soaking and lightning conducting everything touched by water without restraint. He didn't think she would try an attack which would hurt her almost as much as him.

He was wrong.

The lightning took the form of a huge feline creature, almost as sentient in appearance as his water dragon. It opened its mouth and roared, crackling electricity adding to its vicious charge. She dredged her arms back, almost as if she were holding a sword and brought it down with all of her strength. The animal made of lightning charged right at him. The last thing he heard before thousands of volts coursed through his veins was the name, screamed from her hoarse lips as she took the same amount of punishment as him.

"_Raijū Hashiri no Jutsu_!"

Lightning Beast Technique

A fine name

* * *

The mist dissipated completely at last. Anko set the Uchiha in line beside his Inuzuka friend and his puppy. The three of them weren't in any real danger. The senbon needles had injected them with paralysis venom of some type, nothing more. They probably wouldn't be able to move for a day or two, that was all. The girl, Sakura, was of the same condition. Once again the needles had nothing in them but paralysis venom, non-life threatening.

She left Tazuna to watch over the Genin. The old man was perfectly fine except for being in a mild state of shock from the fight. The sight of his protectors unconscious probably scared the poor man to death. Anko didn't really care. She had something abundantly more important to do in her book than calm down a shell shocked old man.

She saw that last strike, and was unnerved by how quiet it had been in the aftermath. The pure voltage of Yugito's attack had given rise to a mist like cloud of evaporated water from the surface. That was her strongest technique and with how drained she looked when she faced Zabuza the snake mistress was worried about her, really worried.

She found Yugito looking over the lake, standing up, hair come undone from their confines and blowing in a sudden wind which was weakening the smoke. Anko grinned as she approached. She was alright. She worried over nothing. The idea blew up when she got closer and saw her friend up close.

Yugito was barely able to stand. She collapsed just before Anko could get into her. The blondes sudden weight forcing the tired snake mistress to her knees. She looked down at her face and gasped. Yugito's face was red and her body was covered in a mixture of first and superficial second degree burns. Her clothes were torn and ripped. Her right arm was placed at a funny angle, broken probably.

"Wake up," she said through a hoarse throat, lightly slapping her friend and immediately regretting it. "Hey, Yu-chan. Wake up!"

She did. Her eyes opened ever so slightly and she managed a weak smile. "Anko, did I get him?"

She looked over, just noticing the lifeless body several meters away from her. Wasn't he in the centre of the lake when she launched that technique? Did she drag him out of the lake? "Yeah, Yu-chan. You got him."

"Good," she said wistfully and then smiled. "I won."

Her eyes closed and her body went limp.

* * *

_**Long Over**_

The sun was setting on the horizon and an eight year old Naruto Uzumaki looked on as his three friends went home, their mothers leading the way. It had been fun playing with them. He had made fast friends with Kiba, Chouji and Shikamaru. Their parents weren't like most adults he had met in the village either. They didn't look at him with hate in their eyes.

But now they were gone, leaving him in the park all by himself. He looked around. The area full of laughing and playful children during the day was now devoid of all life besides him and him alone.

He was on his own.

Then he saw it, tied by worn rope under a strong looking branch. The swing hadn't changed at all from what he remembered. A seat of worn wood, paint chipped away by years of age and neglect. The ropes which connected the seat to its restraints were worn but still strong.

Just looking at the swing hurt;

The thought alone brought back painful memories for him, memories of him alone and feeling that he was without a friend in the world. Naruto liked to make people believe that he was an impregnable shield, but even the greatest of walls can crumble with time. He had been so close to crumbling.

A shadow fell upon him then, and it wasn't a shadow of a building in the way of the setting sun. It was a person's shadow. One he had gotten to know very well. Her voice was like that of an angel, as corny as that sounds. An angel who did something not even Jiji and Ero-Sennin was able to do, although they had tried in different ways.

She had saved him.

He turned to smile at her, which she returned it brightly. "Hey cub, sorry I'm late."

Naruto rushed over and hugged her, and after a moment of surprised hesitation she returned it with a worried look. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

He shook his head. "I just needed a hug, mom."

Those days on that lonely swing were long over.

Long over.

* * *

_**Weapons Glossary**_

_Kubikiribōchō – Decapitating Carving Knife_

_The chosen sword of Zabuza Momoichi it is a massive broadsword shaped like a giant__butcher knife__, passed down from generation to generation amongst the__Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist__. It has a circle cut out of the top and a semicircle near the handle which seem to fit the sword's purpose of decapitation aptly. _

_Like all other swords passed down in the organisation the weapon has its own unique ability. This being its ability to reform itself using the iron harvested from its victims' blood. This regenerative process takes place almost instantly, and is capable of bringing the weapon back to its original perfect condition no matter how severe the damage is, from a simple chip or a nick to a completely missing half of the blade._

* * *

_**Jutsu Glossary**_

_Doton: Doryūheki – Earth Release: Earth Style Wall_

_Jūjin Bunshin – Beast Clone_

_Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hidden Mist Technique_

_Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Summoning Technique_

_Makyō Hyōshō – Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors_

_Mizu Bunshin – Water Clone_

_Raijū Hashiri no Jutsu – Lightning Beast Technique_

_Sensatsu Suishō – Thousand Water Needles of Death_

_Shinkyaku no Jutsu – All-Fours Technique_

_Suiton: Suigadan – Water Release: Water Fang Bullet_

_Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu – Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique_

* * *

_**Author's Note 1: **__Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, sadly lol, I make no profit from publishing this story._

_**Author's Note 2: **__I had a day to myself and nothing better to do, so I decided to begin the next chapter of this story. I had a cola in one hand and the keyboard in the other. I just finished it and for the first time in a while I am happy with a chapter I have done for this story. I feel as if my muse has returned for a while, as it were._

_**Author's Note 3:**__ This may feel a little rushed and now that I think about it I may have overpowered Zabuza a little bit here. But remember that Kakashi had an advantage over the guy because of the Sharingan which foresaw and copied the Demons every move. Yugito doesn't have a Sharingan, and as said in the sourcebook she is not a perfected Jinchūriki like Killer B. The Nibi isn't nearly as powerful as the Hachibi or the Kyubi either, so to me this is quite realistic. But that's just me. Let me know if you disagree._


	18. Chapter 17: Night Terrors

_**Chapter 17**_

_**Night Terrors**_

The village elder was an old man, dressed in a simple gray hakama and sitting cross-legged on a tatami mat. A cup of steaming herbal tea was resting in front of him. His head was bald, his eyes seemed to be closed, face covered with wrinkles and liver spots and a long beard of stringy white hair. He seemed to be a man in his mid to late eighties, and so Itachi guessed that he must have been one of the first settlers to this outpost in the far north of the Land of Fire.

Flanking him on either side were another two elders of the village, both men and both seemingly as old as the one in the front. They wore the same coloured hakama, sat cross-legged on the tatami mats. One seemed to be younger, for he still had hair even though it was pure white and his dark eyes were looking at Itachi with suspician. The other seemed as old as the village leader, his beard was trimmed shorter and his hair was white and stringy but he had an air about him that told Itachi that he was not helpless and the katana placed to the side cemented the thought in his mind.

The old village leader spoke up, nodding his head in a small bow as his words escaped him, old and raspy. "It is good to see that Shinobi from the Hidden Village have finally come, although I was hoping for a few more."

"I assure you sir," Itachi spoke up, bowing his head to show his knowledge of the station this man held; "That for a group of bandits and slavers we will be enough."

"Hmm, true, true," the elder nodded, folding his arms. "I am the leader of this village, Oda Takahara and these two are my advisors and fellow elders Kenshin Kagemura and Saru Matsumoto. We have been the elders of this village since its founding some forty years ago."

Itachi nodded to each elder, who returned it tautly. "I assure you that we will remain until this problem has been resolved. Please tell me what you know of your attackers, have there been any survivors or has any witnesses?"

Takahara shook his head, "The enemy comes in the dead of night, and uses the night to hide themselves so as not to be discovered. The attack on the Namakura last night was the closest they have dared tread near the village proper. Before then they struck at work crews returning home from the mines, nightshifts mostly, and a week later they began hitting the outer farms. There are always no survivors."

"Perhaps some of the men on the walls last night caught a glimpse of whoever the attackers were," Itachi muttered to himself.

"There have been... rumours spreading since the attack last night." Kenshin said with a heavy sigh. "Some of the men on the walls reported seeing shapes at the edges of the flames, shapes that did not look human."

"A trick of the light, nothing more," Saru scoffed lightly. "It is obviously the work of bandits. I will not allow these rumours of monsters striking in the dead of night be believed. The people are scared enough as it is, Kenshin."

"I am simply informing our new protectors of as much information as possible, Saru." The old Samurai replied calmly. "We do not want our new protectors to leave the defences of the village without knowing as much as we can tell them."

"Humph," the other man huffed in supreme annoyance. "You say that now, Kenshin, however you continue to protect that woman. All other humans have been attacked and yet she remains alive and seemingly well in that shrine!"

"Enough," Oda barked angrily. "This bickering is getting us nowhere. The danger to the village is still very real!"

Itachi remained silent the entire time, "Please, tell me about this woman?"

"There is not much to tell," Kenshin replied with a frown. "There is a shrine atop the mountain. It had been there since before the villagers settled here, and until around the decade ago it had been tendered to by three old shrine maidens of Inari."

"Hmm," Itachi hummed as he took in the information. Inari was a goddess of the Shinto religion, known to be the patron Kami of fertility, rice, agriculture, industry and worldly success. It was said that the goddess appeared before many a blacksmith, aiding them in creating a legendary sword. Inari was also said to be the patron kami of foxes, some believed that the goddess was a fox herself.

"When your village was attacked by that nine tailed demon the shrine maidens vanished without a trace, no one knew where they had disappeared too or why." Saru scoffed lightly, folding his arms. "Then about six years ago a young shrine maiden wandered into our village, asking for directions to the abandoned temple. When asked as to why she replied that she was going to take over its upkeep."

"Does she come down often?" Itachi asked.

"Once or twice a month to barter supplies and listen to village gossip," Oda replied simply before turning to Saru. "She really was a sweet young lady, always willing to listen. She even plays with the children. I don't see why you are so hostile towards her Saru."

The old man huffed, "You are too trusting, Oda."

"She's probably fallen victim to whatever's out there now anyway," Kenshin sighed. "She hasn't been seen or heard from in a month."

"May I have directions to this temple?" Itachi asked. "Perhaps, if she is still there, she may have seen who has caused this strife to your village."

"If she's even still alive," Kenshin muttered heavily. "A pretty young thing like that would probably fetch quite a price in a slave market."

"If she hasn't been working for them all along," Saru snapped.

"She has been here for just over half a decade, Saru." Oda sighed. "I doubt she would be working for whoever is harassing us."

"You are too trusting, old friend."

* * *

Fear, the village was ripe with it.

Ino felt that fear, heavy in the air, and shuddered at its density. As the heiress of the Yamanaka clan she had been taught by her father in how to understand body language and the mood in the air. The people looked frightened, truly frightened, with their weary eyes, slumped posture and timid whispers. These were a people who were defeated, lost and without hope.

She came to a stop on a rooftop, looking down upon the small streets below her. There were a few people about, but many had already fled to the apparent safety of their homes, closed the windows and locked the doors in preparation for another long harrowing night.

"The Namakura's have gone now too."

She looked down to see two men closing up a small shop, a grocery store she guessed. The man lowering the shudders looked over at his colleague. "That's how many families?"

"I lost count at six," the other man grimaced.

"By god," the other grimaced. The two of them were worried, Ino could feel it. "It won't be long until they come here next."

"Are you still going on about that?" the other frowned, shaking his head. "It's the work of slavers and bandits. When they see that we're behind the village walls they will leave us alone."

"No they won't," the other replied, shaking his head. "They'll never leave us alone, not until every last one of us is dead and gone."

"Morbid much?" the other man asked with a frown. "Alright then, how do you know they aren't bandits or slavers?"

"I saw them.

That peeked Ino's interest, and as she looked down she saw just how scared this man was. He was shaking, hands balled into fists and teeth grinding together. Whatever he had seen scared him, and scared him badly. The other man raised a brow at this. "What did you see?"

He looked over at him, "A monster."

"A monster?" the other asked with a snort. "You've been on the drink a little too much, Ryu."

Ryu didn't answer for a long moment. He simply finished pinning down the shutters before looking back at his colleague with true terror in his eyes. "They were real."

"Then what did they look like?" the other asked, disbelieving, but Ino could tell that he wasn't lying. She edged a little closer, listening in. It may be nothing more than superstition but any information could be valuable.

"Wolves," the other replied with a shiver, a full body shiver. "Fur as black as night, and eyes as red as hell, one of them looked at me. It was smiling."

"Smiling?"

"Smiling." Ryo affirmed before rubbing his face with his right hand.

"When the hell did this happen?"

"On the guard tower last night, when the Namakura farmhouse started to burn I saw them at the edge of the flames." He looked at the man, eyes wide in fear as a small smile pulled at his lips, not a smile of one who was happy. "I thought I was hallucinating, but dear god I wasn't. They'll come and they'll kill us all."

"Calm down man," the other man didn't look like he saw it as a joke anymore. If anything he started to look unnerved. Ino continued to watch the exchange, unaware of a larger presence until it landed beside her. She looked to the side, startled, only to relax when she saw her sensei knelling beside her, looking down at the conversation.

Before either one could say another word her sensei stepped over the edge, dropping down and landing on his feet with perfect movement, almost as if he had simply taken a simple step. The two men were so enamoured in their conversation that they both visibly jumped when he surprised them, but her sensei simply raised his hands in surrender.

"I mean you both no harm." He said simply.

"That headband," the as of yet unnamed man said in relief. "You're from Konoha."

"I am," Itachi affirmed with a nod.

"Ninja are here?" the one named Ryo asked in a timid voice.

"I would like to ask you some questions as to what you saw last night," her sensei stated before looking up at her. "Ino, would you assemble Naruto and Shino please?"

"Yes, sensei," She nodded her head before spinning around and taking off across the rooftops, using her limited sensory ability to try and detect her two male teammates.

Itachi watched until the young girl had vanished from sight before turning around to study the two individuals. They were both rather plain in appearance, with brown hair and stocky builds. The man named Ryo was about a half a head shorter than his companion, and maybe a decade younger. His hair was spikier and more unkempt. "My name is Itachi Uchiha, Jōnin ranked Shinobi from the village of Konohagakure."

"Jun Akamura," the taller and older man introduced.

"Ryo Saito," the younger introduced after a moment of unsure silence.

"Jun, Ryo," Itachi acknowledged with a nod before he went back to business; "I need you to tell me exactly what you have seen, down to the very last detail."

Ryo took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again they were the eyes of someone who was indeed scared, but also wished nothing more than to help in any way he could, "Yes, Itachi-sama. I will tell you all that I can."

Itachi nodded, and then looked up just a second before three thumps could be heard on the rooftop above. All three men looked up, the two civilians in sudden alarm, as his three Genin settled on the rooftop for a moment before hopping off and landing on crouches in the centre of the now deserted street.

"Naruto, Ino," Itachi spoke up in a quiet yet firm voice. "Take Ryo to the local tavern. Rooms have already been prepared for our use."

"Yes sensei." The two replied as one with a nod before leading the younger man down the road. Itachi waited until the three of them were out of sight before turning back to the third member of his group. "Shino, I want you to release your swarm. Have them setup a perimeter on the walls of the village, and keep them alert for anything out of the ordinary."

"Yes sensei," Shino nodded before turning around and spreading his hands, waiting for a brief moment before uttering a single word. "Go."

The swarm of Kikaichu exploded from under the Aburame's clothes, swarming around him for a long moment as a mass of black before scattering in all directions, some taking to the skies above the wooden structures while others ventured down the main streets or down side alleys. Every single insect moved with the same, hive-minded purpose of setting up the perimeter as their masters sensei had ordered.

Itachi nodded as the last insect vanished from view, "Very good, you're control is improving. Now follow Naruto and Ino to the inn, and remain on your guard until I get there."

Shino nodded, "Yes sensei."

Itachi waited until Shino rounded the corner before turning back to the second man, Jun, who was starring in the direction the Aburame vanished, eyes wide in disbelief and awe. "I have heard of the Aburame clan of Konoha, but this is the first time I have seen one of them."

"There is something more to Ryo than I am being told," Itachi said after a moment. "Tell me."

Jun sighed, "He isn't going to like me telling you this, but Ryo was sweet with the Namakura's oldest daughter, Yuki, I think her name was. He will probably want to come with you if you're going after the bandits."

Itachi sighed, "I see."

"He's a good kid, and I know he's hurting," Jun muttered before walking in the opposite direction, to his own home most likely. "Don't let him go to his death. I doubt that's what Yuki would have wanted."

* * *

They left at first light. The light of the sun was only just dipping over the horizon when they left the village and made their way along the dirt pathway towards the forest. According to the village elders there was a side road that led up the mountain, about a kilometre behind the tree line. The shrine resided midway up the mountain, seemingly carved into the huge creation of nature.

The mood of the three kids was tense, Itachi felt it, and saw it in the way that Ino and Naruto were not fighting like they would usually do. Shino seemed the same as ever, but the Uchiha could see it in his posture that he was also nervous. All three Genin had been affected by the way which the boy had practically begged them to come along. The poor kid was almost in tears.

Naruto seemed to be affected by the scene more than Ino and Shino, Itachi believed that the boy understood some of Ryo's pain and even asked afterwards if they could take him along. Itachi had immediately said no to the idea, telling Naruto that where they were going was no place for an unseasoned miner who had never experienced combat.

Naruto understood what his sensei was saying, and agreed that if there was going to be a fight then Ryo would not be able to come, if anything he would be a liability. Against the likes of them, trained Ninja, bandits wouldn't be too much of a challenge, but if some civilian was in the way then the tables could probably turn very quickly.

Soon the three of them had left the open prairies and were now moving through the dense forests of evergreen trees. Itachi listened with his ears imbued with chakra, making a list of every birdcall, and every rustle of wildlife. The forest was alive and thriving with small woodland creatures, which was good for them. If something foreign was out there, like humans setting up camp, then the woods would become eerily silent. The presence of predators does that to a natural ecosystem.

"It's creepy out here," Ino muttered.

"Getting scared?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"As if," Ino scoffed back. "Unlike you I don't jump at every snapping of a twig."

Naruto scowled at her, "That was one time."

"You jumped right out of your skin," Ino giggled. "Funniest thing I've ever seen you do."

"Ah shut up."

"You shut up!"

"Pig,"

"Knucklehead,"

Itachi sighed, immediately tuning them out as they continued their trek. Ino and Naruto always seemed to get on each other's bad sides way too quickly, always bickering and fighting over the smallest things. He had learned nearly a week into him taking them as his team that the best thing to do was simply to ignore them and let them sort it out on their own. Sometimes Shino would intervene as a peacekeeper, but most of the time the two of them were simply allowed to squabble until they've had their fill.

True to his hypothesis the two eventually ran out of steam, and spent the rest of the trek simply glaring at each other. By then they had already taken the side path and were now nearly halfway to their destination. They could already see the worn red painted Tori gates slowly rising before them, signalling the end of the dirt road and the beginning of a mass of stone steps leading up to the shrine itself.

There were a total of ten tori gates, red constructs which encompassed the stone steps, and there were a lot of steps. The four of them simply continued on in silence, now fully alert. It was only broken when Naruto spoke. "So, uh, why are we going to see this lady again?"

"Because she's the last living human left outside of the village you idiot," Ino muttered.

"Bite me," Naruto replied.

"Enough, both of you," Itachi sighed, silencing his two unruly students with a slightly annoyed look. "We are here because she might know the identity of the attackers, and if she doesn't we are to escort her back to the safety of the village until the danger passes."

"Oh, right." Naruto replied, nodding in understanding as the team fell into silence once more. It was almost midday by the time the four man cell made it up to the top of the mountain, stepping past the last tori gate and gazing upon the small shrine which sat upon its peak. It was made of two buildings, the small temple itself and another side building which probably housed the living quarters for the maidens who cared for it. The ground was covered by stone paves, some looked new and recently replaced; the tori gates at the summit also looked better cared for, the red paint newer and showing no signs of age.

"Our shrine maiden has been busy it seems," Itachi muttered as he stepped past the last gate and slowly walked across the stone tiles, his three Genin following him closely.

"Hello," Ino called. "Is anyone here!"

Her voice echoed through the small temple, but only silence greeted her for several tense seconds. The Ninja were in the middle of the shrine when the sliding doors of the temple in front of them opened with a sudden rolling of joints and a woman walked onto the porch. She was tall and graceful, dressed in a white hakama and red pants of a shrine maiden, a broom was held in slender hands.

She was quite beautiful, young, perhaps in her mid to late twenties by Itachi's guess. Her face was roundish, almost heart shaped, her hair was long and flowing past her shoulders near the small of her back, raven black in colour and shimmering in the midday sun. Her eyes were the colour of deep violet and her skin was as freshly fallen snow. Her voice, when she spoke, was sweet and honeyed.

"Oh, visitors," she said, setting her broom to the side and placing her hands together in front of her gave the four Shinobi a sweeping bow, her hair flowing from the quickness of her movements. "Welcome to the Naka shrine."

"You are the shrine maiden here?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, my name is Saiyuri, Saiyruri Hishikawa. I am the maiden in charge of this shrine." She looked up at them with an inquisitive expression. "Pardon me for asking this, but that uniform, could you be Shinobi from Konoha?"

"We are," Itachi responded with a nod. "My name is Itachi of the Uchiha clan. My associates are Ino Yamanaka, Shino Aburame and Naruto Uzumaki."

She nodded to each of them in turn, before bowing her head in acknowledgement. "Please enter, and pardon the mess. We don't really get very many visitors these days, and I think this is the first time Shinobi have visited us."

She closed the sliding door to the temple and with a graceful flow of movement almost seemed to glide from one building to the other. The front of the living quarters consisted of nothing more than a long porch and a line of sliding doors, and as she opened one of the central panels Itachi and his students noticed a simply designed room as long as the building, well crafted, if worn, timber pillars were evenly spaced and in the centre of the room was a low table surrounded by tatami mats.

Itachi took her unconscious queue, slipping out of his sandals as he entered the shrine and gently knelt on the tatami mat opposite the maiden, his three students hesitated for a brief moment before following their sensei' lead, slipping out of their sandals and each taking a mat to sit on. Ino sat with the grace of a noblewoman but here sapphire eyes were snapping back and forth as she surveyed the room with a childish curiosity. Shino was completely unreadable as he sat on his own mat, and Naruto... well, Naruto just fidgeted and looked very uncomfortable.

It took him a moment to see that the young woman was studying him with a slightly amused smile. "What?"

Ino hissed at him, "Don't be rude, Naruto!"

"It's quite alright," the young woman smiled. "I take it you don't come to shrines often, young Shinobi?"

Naruto looked sheepish, "Heh, yeah it's my first time."

"I can give you and your friends a tour if you'd like," she said as she leaned back to look up at the ceiling; "Though I admit that it's a pretty small shrine, so there isn't much to see."

Itachi politely cleared his throat. "I apologise, my lady, but there is a reason why we're here."

She nodded. "I know, there has been a lot of commotion in the valley below and in the forests around me."

"Have you seen any of the perpetrators of these acts?" Itachi asked, leaning forward.

She nodded a small frown on her seemingly delicate features. "I believe I have, though I doubt you would believe me. I find it difficult to believe what I am seeing around this shrine at night myself."

"Can you tell us?" Itachi asked.

Saiyuri sighed, looking the Uchiha straight in the eye for a long moment, as if assessing him, before she spoke. "I believe I see black wolves, Master Shinobi, and the more I observe them the more I believe that they are not of the ordinary variety."

The results of the shrine maidens answers were surprising, but Itachi and his students were silent for other reasons. His students looked at the woman with a mass of different emotions. Ino looked at her as if she were insane, Naruto began to look edgy, and as for Shino. He was as emotionless in appearance as he usually was, but Itachi could just make out the rising of his brow at her answer.

Ino laughed, though it was nervous. "There's no way that's true, right? I mean demons don't exist?"

"Don't they," Saiyuri asked in obvious surprise at the young Shinobi's answer. "The Nine Biju are not classified as demons by you Shinobi, and what about those animals you are known to summon, aren't they classed as demons as well?"

The more the woman spoke the more nervous Ino seemed to get, and Itachi didn't blame her. Such creatures were not unknown to Shinobi, but it was usually just the higher ranking warriors who knew about demonic forces outside of those that could be summoned. But besides that the Shinobi usually tended to leave these creatures alone. They tended to remain isolated from human contact, even those linked to the infamous Biju.

"Have they not attempted to enter this shrine?" Itachi asked, frowning at her answer.

"No, they appear unable too," she replied with a sigh as she slowly stood up and walked towards the porch. "They have tried, however they appear unable to pass the tori gates. It almost seems like something is keeping them from entering. When one gets too close they recoil as if struck."

"Why have you not attempted to leave?"

"I have attempted too," the maiden replied with a shake of her head. "But I must admit that I am a little afraid. I know now that the shrine is the safest place in the valley, but at the same time sightings of them around its perimeter are becoming more and more common."

"If I may ask," Shino interjected, speaking for the first time since the conversation began. "Why haven't they been able to enter the temple?"

"I am unsure," Saiyuri replied with a slight frown. "But there is an old legend, or rather a myth, around the foundations of this shrine. According to a few old stories and folklore around here it is said that this shrine was once the haven of a Kitsune clan."

The Shinobi in her presence immediately stiffened, all except for Itachi, who eyes his students very carefully to assess their replies. He was almost sure that Naruto had stopped breathing as the name was spoken.

"It was said that it was one of the thirteen great clans who originally built this temple, long before any humans settled here." The maiden explained with a coy smile. "Some say it was one of the two most powerful clans, either void or celestial, who built this shrine. They placed wards and charms around it to stop any non-Kitsune entity from entering. If these folktales are true, then perhaps it is simply those charms which are stopping these wolves from entering."

"Do Kitsune actually exist?" Ino asked, looking a little twitchy as she looked between the shrine maiden and Itachi.

"We are not sure," Itachi replied, eyes not leaving those of the maiden who met his gaze just as unflinchingly. "There have been sightings, more so in the older days before the establishment of the Ninja villages. There were even supposed to be a handful of people who studied them and their culture, but no one has seen a Kitsune face to face in almost a hundred years."

"Perhaps they simply do not wish to be found," Saiyuri informed, turning around to face them. "According to the old legends Kitsune were masters of shape shifting and subterfuge. It was said that they're illusions were greater than most Genjutsu. In fact there were some historians who considered that the first Genjutsu users may have received instruction from Kitsune."

"What's all this about void and celestial?" Naruto asked at last, looking weary, but curiosity seemed to get the best of him.

"It is said that the Kitsune are separated into thirteen clans, these clans were known as fire, earth, river, ocean, mountain, forest, thunder, time and sound." The maiden explained. "However of these clans there were four which were considered the oldest and despite them being in lesser numbers they were also the most powerful, those four were wind, spirit, celestial and void. Of these four the most powerful were celestial and void. It was said that their eldest members were as strong as entire armies."

"You appear to know a lot about this subject, Saiyuri-san." Itachi questioned lightly.

Saiyuri shrugged her slender shoulders, "I'm on my own up here. I like to read and there is quite a fine collection of old scrolls in the temple building."

They're eyes met and held for several heartbeats before the Shinobi closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Enough for now," Itachi raised his hand, looking up in time to see the sun beginning to set over the rocks and trees. "The hour is late. Tomorrow morning we will escort the shrine maiden to the safety of the village, and then we will send word to Konoha for reinforcements. I believe this is beyond the ability of a Jōnin and three Genin to take care of."

* * *

_**Author's Note 1: **__Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, I have no claim to the characters or original story._

_**Author's Note 2: **__How long has it been since I updated this story? Quite a long time if I remember, I may get some flak for this but I wanted to try my hand at adding another coming of age scenario for Naruto. We've all seen the Wave Arc used so much that it's becoming a little redundant, so I decided on trying something else. Just think of this as me trying something new from the Wave Arc while still adding the original scenario into the story. _

_**Author's Note 3: **__I'm going to set the next few chapters up as back and forth chapters, one for Yugito in Wave and the other with Naruto in the northern wilderness. The next one will go back to wave to catch up on our characters there after their battle with Zabuza and Haku, and then the one after that will deal with Naruto and company._


End file.
